Kings of the Arena
by angelcarstairs4679
Summary: (Hunger games au). Iwaizumi Hajime lost most of his family to the Hunger Games. He wasn't about to lose his best friend too. Will the two of them survive the Hunger games, or will one of them have to make the ultimate sacrifice?
1. Chapter 1

**Been wanting to write a Hunger Games au for a long time now and finally got the inspiration to do it from Twitter. Shoutout to noya jailbreak whose simulation on the Hunger Games sparked an idea in my mind, something I really needed to boost my confidence in writing and to try and do something productive over the course of my final year in university (and just trying to be creative). I will try to update daily but depending on whether I hit a block or am too busy, it may depend.**

**I don't own the characters.**

**Happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favour**

.Iwaizumi Hajime was crouched in the bush of the forest behind his house, his right hand pulling against his bow as his eyes looked for his prey. When they finally settled on the young doe in front of him, he smiled as he let the arrow fly free, the sharp squeal of the doe getting hit filling the silence of the forest as he pumped his fist in triumph. His family will be happy with this prize that he's going to bring home for dinner; hopefully, it would be to celebrate another year where he hadn't been Reaped.

Today was the day all individuals from the ages of 13 to 18 years of age will be getting Reaped for the annual Hunger Games. Iwaizumi thought it was the sickest idea humanity had ever come up with in an attempt to punish the descendants of a bunch of people who decided to rebel against the Capital, which in return is the place where nutjobs lived out their lives partying every day and dressed in the most comical fashions in the universe. To think they actually treated this as one of the highlights of the year, going so far to even send 'gifts' of weaponry onto the Arena on the day of the Games; it made Iwaizumi's stomach roll.

He had been lucky to have avoided getting picked for the past five years of his life. One more year and he would be able to live his days in peace, harvesting coal from District 12's coal mines.

One more year and he wouldn't have to die of a heart attack from hearing a certain idiot being picked for the Hunger Games.

As Iwaizumi bent over his prey and clapped his hands together, praying for the doe's spirit to go into heaven, he heard a rustle in the woods, his hand automatically going for his hunting knife when he heard a sing-song voice filling the air.

"Iwa-chan! There you are! Auntie has been looking everywhere for you! The Reaping is in another hour and you haven't gone and showered! Man, you sure smell like a gorilla right now," Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi's best friend and the most annoying person in existence groaned as he trudged through the woods, his eyes falling onto the doe on the ground as his eyes lit up.

"How did you manage to happen across a doe?" he yelped as Iwaizumi sighed before beginning to gut the animal, much to Oikawa's horror. The other boy hated the sight of blood, almost always throwing up at the sight of it. He had gotten better at controlling himself though, thanks to Iwaizumi dragging him for hunting when they were teenagers.

"It's still another hour. I only need a few minutes for a shower."

"But Auntie says you literally have fungus to scrub out from under your toenails."

"Not like anyone would even look at them."

"I do! They smell like they haven't seen the sun since the day you were born!"

"Shut it Shittykawa," Iwaizumi growled as he tossed the remainder of the guts into the bag, never so much wanting to waste any source of protein that could be sold in the market as he tossed the bloody bag to Oikawa. Oikawa shrieked as he barely managed to catch it, wrinkling his nose at the sight of blood dripping from the bag as Iwaizumi hoisted the deer onto his shoulders and began the march back home.

He had been trying to avoid the town the entire day because of the Reaping. Every year, he feared that he would get picked and shipped off to fight in a place that would be his burial ground. Heck, most Tributes were sent back in a box when they were killed, if they were lucky to have been remained intact. Some Tributes weren't even sent back due to having been blasted to pieces or whatever that remained of them was too gruesome for their grieving families to handle.

But most of all, he feared Oikawa would be chosen and he would have to watch his best friend suffer in the Games all on his own.

On the way back to their homes, which were right next door to one another, the atmosphere of District 12 reminded Iwaizumi of the usual Reaping day atmosphere; doom and gloom. District 12 was the poorest of the Districts and barely ever had Tributes who even passed the first 5 minutes of the canon going off without getting killed, let alone win any Games. Only one man came from District 12 that was still kicking; a middle ages man by the name of Matsukawa Issei, who drank to his heart content and was never sober since the day he won the Games.

Oikawa reached out to Iwaizumi, ignoring the blood coating his hands as he took them in his own to give them a light squeeze. Iwaizumi felt his heart break as his friend looked at him in the eyes, brown chocolate staring back at him as he put on the fakest smile yet; one that assured him they would walk away from the Reaping without being chosen once more. Oikawa always seemed to know when to make him feel bad.

"Go and have a good shower. Auntie is going to kill you if you don't go in right now," Oikawa grinned as he finally let go of his hands, heading into his own shack of a house. Iwaizumi watched as he entered the house, closing the door behind him before turning to his own, heading inside to see his mother seated at the dinner table.

Iwaizumi had a big family, although it has since been torn apart by the Games. His elder twin brothers had been Reaped several years before and managed to get quite far into the finals when they were ambushed and killed by District 1 representative Ushijima Wakatoshi. His father had gone mad at losing both of his sons at once and got into a brawl in the District bar, which resulted in him getting knocked unconscious. With the lack of medicine to pull him out of his coma, they were forced to pull the plug on him. The only ones left of the Iwaizumi household were Hajime and his mother. Iwaizumi's stomach twisted at the thought of the possibility of his mother losing another child to the Games this year.

"Hajime, welcome home," Mrs Iwaizumi smiled, her face worn with years of hard work and stress of losing the men of her family one after another.

"I'm home," Iwaizumi said as he moved to give his mother a peck on the cheek, who grimaced a little at the sight of her son being covered with blood.

"Come on now, Hajime. Leave the cleaning to me and go wash yourself up. You look like a caveman right about now," she smirked as Iwaizumi thought of the number of times Oikawa had called him that as he headed into the shower, which was actually just an outdoor shower he shared with the Oikawa household.

He ducked inside, stripping himself of his sweaty clothes before turning to pour water all over his back. Water was precious in these parts and he would be lucky to have a shower even once every four days. Reaping Day was exceptional since there had been cases where people showed up at their worst, smelly and filthy that were taken away by the District Officers and beaten to a pulp. Iwaizumi could take them down, although he didn't want to bother going through all that hassle when he could use it as an excuse to feel fresh.

Once he was done scrubbing all the dirt from his body (and under his toenails since he had to admit he did have some fungus growing under them), he wrapped himself up in a towel before moving to his room where his Reaping clothes were; a simple white shirt with black slacks. These were the nicest items of clothing he ever possessed, although he only ever wore them on Reaping day. As he buttoned up the shirt, his thoughts turned to Oikawa, who was getting ready in his own home.

Why did he have a bad feeling about today?

Iwaizumi quickly finished wearing his clothes before heading into the living room. His mother moved forward, her hands moving to straighten his clothes and tame his messy hair, although Iwaizumi knew his mother was trying to stall the inevitable fate of possibly losing her last child; she didn't want to lose anymore this year.

"Mum, we need to go," Iwaizumi whispered as Mrs Iwaizumi nodded.

"I know. It's just… I can't lose you as well. Not after what happened with Hikaru and Haruka…" she whispered as a silent tear fell from her eye. The older Iwaizumi was terrified of losing the rest of her family, her hands shaking as her son took them into his hands. Mrs Iwaizumi sucked in a rattled breath as she finally let the tears flow.

"Hajime, you've grown so much. I love you o so much. Always remember, no matter where you are, I will always be looking out for you."

She pecked a kiss on his forehead before taking him by the hand, walking out into the street to join the crowd of parents and children walking to the square. Most of them were pale with fear, some of them even visibly crying into their sleeves as they headed to their doom. As they neared the square, Peace Keepers in white uniforms proceeded to split the children away from their parents. Most didn't say a word as they separated them, their faces hidden behind white helmets as they barked out orders for the parents to keep away. Not many children put up a fight, knowing they and their family would face bitter consequences if they did so.

"Good luck," Mrs Iwaizumi whispered as she moved to stand with the adults, Mrs Oikawa coming in to give her a hug as Iwaizumi's hand suddenly felt so empty and cold.

He scanned himself in before moving to stand with the other 18-year-olds. The square had been divided into age groups, each group standing in a square with a path in the middle to allow the future Tributes to walk down to the stage. As Iwaizumi moved to stand, he felt a warm hand slipping into his own, callused from the knife training he had done.

"We'll get through this," Oikawa whispered as Iwaizumi nodded, both of them holding each other as the Capital representative walked onto the stage. Oikawa thought that most of them looked pretty mad but this guy looked very.. ordinary. He was dressed in a crisp suit, black save for the orange and white lines lining it. The only thing about him that looked a bit odd were the fact he was munching on onigiri as he moved, not caring that most of the people in front of him were starved for such food as he spoke into the mike.

"Welcome to the annual Reaping. My name is Miya Osamu and I will be your Capital representative this year. With me on the stage is the mayor of District 12, Irihata-san and Tribute mentor, Matsukawa Issei. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour. As usual, I will be asking if anyone wants to volunteer. Any volunteers?"

Compared to all the representatives they had seen over the years, Osamu looked ready to just bail and eat his onigiri in peace as he moved to the large bowls in front of him. The names of all the boys and girls in the district had been pooled into it, their names written on a single piece of paper that would assign them to their early death. Osamu didn't seem bothered by that fact though, his hand moving through the bowl to pull out a name, unfurling the paper as his mouth opened to announce it. Iwaizumi could feel the silence in the air growing heavier as Osamu spoke the name.

"Oikawa Tooru."

Iwaizumi felt his blood run cold as Oikawa turned to look at him. There wasn't a hint of fear on his face as he smiled at his best friend, not seeming to be bothered about the fact he might be dying in a week's time as the crowd parted for him to move.

"Shittykawa… why…" Iwaizumi growled as he tried to control himself from snapping. He lost his brothers last year, he wasn't going to lose his best friend.

"Don't worry. I will come home to you," Oikawa smiled as he gently moved in to kiss Iwaizumi on the cheek. They had been doing this for years, just a small sign of greeting between them that never amounted to anything in the past, until now.

"While I'm at it, maybe I can kill the Tributes under Ushiwaka-chan after what he did to Hikaru and Haruka last year," he smiled, the expression on his face sending chills down his spine. Oikawa had been there with him as they watched the twins getting cut down by Ushijima's sword, Hikaru trying to shield his younger twin from the final blow that cut down the two of them together. The winner hadn't even faltered as he cut them down, proceeding to stand up tall as he was announced the winner of the Games.

While he looked like he was confident and ready to go, deep down, Iwaizumi knew that Oikawa was balled up, sobbing and wishing he could run away from it all.

Slowly, Oikawa released his hand as he turned to walk up the stage, two Peacekeeper moving to escort him up as Iwaizumi reached out for him.

"Tooru…"

No… he couldn't lose his best friend. Not after losing half of his family.

No. He wouldn't let the stupid Capital take anything away from him anymore. He was going to make sure Oikawa came home alive.

Even if it meant if he had to die in the process.

"Hey, what are you doing?" the Peacekeeper guarding their group shouted as Iwaizumi pushed past him to run into the path that separated the groups from each other. Oikawa's retreated back was straight and proud, never flinching as he walked closer to his doom as Iwaizumi yelled.

"I volunteer as Tribute with Oikawa Tooru for District 12!"

A hushed silence filled the air as Oikawa turned to look at Iwaizumi, his eyes screaming for him to turn back when Iwaizumi strode over, not caring at the fact the Peacekeepers had tasers with enough voltage to shock him dead. He turned to look at Osamu dead in the eye, the man flinching slightly as he glared at him with the pent up rage of losing everyone he ever loved to the Capital.

"You wanted a volunteer? You have one," he snapped as Osamu sighed into the mike.

"Alright. Come on up. We haven't got all day."

Slowly, both of them walked onto the stage, Osamu moving to let them stand in front of him. Matsukawa shook his head as he looked at the two of them, his eyes tired from having seen too many Tributes die under him as Osamu drawled.

"May I present to you the Tributes of District 12; Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime."

**If you liked this story, hit the subscribe button to be informed of the latest chapters and leave some kudos and comments below (these really make my day).**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here is chapter 2. Just to make things a bit clear, its been a while since I watched or read the series so what I write might be based on some vague memory I have on it and what I got off the internet. Also, the rule of having one male and one female Tribute per District doesn't apply here; not a fan of gender-bending and thought it would be better to leave them as it is.**

**Also, don't mind Osamu being an onigiri freak, just wanted to give him a unique quirk for the story and thought heck, why not a person who eats onigiri 24 hours.**

**Other than that, have fun reading it!**

"Well congratulations, you two. You've just signed up for your death warrant," Matsukawa muttered as they waited in the Council Hall for District 12. Once the Reaping was over, the Tributes along with their Victor mentor and escort were escorted to a room in the District council hall, the only things present in the room being a single table and four chairs with two Peacekeepers guarding the door.

They were now given around half an hour to prepare themselves to say farewell to their families, something Iwaizumi wasn't looking forward to in the slightest.

Oikawa had a single mother who got pregnant with him when she was 18. On the day of the Reaping, she had been reaped as one of the Tributes, only for her lover, Oikawa's biological father to step forward and take her place. He didn't survive long enough to see his son being born, forcing Mrs Oikawa to raise Oikawa on her own. Iwaizumi didn't know how she was going to react to her son being shipped off to the very same Games that killed her lover.

"Don't say that, Matsukawa-san. You're making things worse," Osamu murmured from his seat, a container of onigiri opened up on his lap. Iwaizumi counted that he must have eaten at least ten onigiri since they knew him and wondered how he managed to even keep them in his stomach.

Matsukawa sighed as he reached to the flask clasped to his belt, unscrewing the lid to down the content within. As he smacked his lips, the smell of alcohol wafted through the air, making Iwaizumi want to gag at the smell. The rumours about Matsukawa being anything but sober for the past twenty years of his life didn't seem to be a joke, although the man's eyes were sharp as the Peacekeepers in the room watched their every move, making sure the Tributes didn't try to make a run for it.

It wasn't uncommon for Tributes to try and escape their doom only for them to be gunned down like animals. Iwaizumi would rather die in the Arena than die a pathetic death somewhere in a coal mine in District 12.

He could even say that he was slightly happy that even if he did die, it wouldn't be a bad death since he could enjoy the luxuries of the Capitol for a little while.

"Your families are here to see you," the Peacekeeper said as he moved to open the door, their mothers walking in before rushing to envelope their sons in their arms. Iwaizumi's mother was sobbing as she held onto her son, whispering that everything will be alright to him as Iwaizumi held her tight.

"I'm sorry mum, for being so selfish."

"Don't be. I treat Tooru as my own son so I'm happy that you two will be able to be together…" she choked as she tried to avoid thinking about them possibly dying as Iwaizumi kissed her on the forehead.

"I will protect him and come home. Then we will be able to live a much better life and you won't have to go to the coal mines to work anymore."

Mrs Iwaizumi sobbed as she pulled back from her son, pressing her hands on his cheeks to stroke them. She ran her thumb over tears Iwaizumi didn't even know he had been shedding, kissing them away before pressing her forehead against his own.

"I love you so much, Hajime. Come back to me safe. Protect Tooru, alright?" she whispered as Iwaizumi nodded.

"Come here. No way I'm going to leave my second son to go away without giving him a kiss and hug," Mrs Oikawa said as she stepped between them and gave Iwaizumi a big hug, but not before letting out a few hiccups as Iwaizumi held onto her. His own mother had moved to hug Oikawa, Oikawa trying his best not to cry as the older Iwaizumi wished him the best. Iwaizumi caught sighed of Oikawa blushing as she said something to him, although Mrs Oikawa turned his attention towards her when she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Sorry for him dragging you into this. You may be his knight in shining armour, but he needs to stand on his own two feet for his."

"No, I chose it for myself."

"I knew you cared for him a lot, but never as much as this," she whispered as she hugged him for what may be the last time.

"I love you both as my own. Come home safe," she whispered as the Peacekeepers announced that time was up. As both women were removed from the premises, Oikawa and Iwaizumi couldn't help but sob as their remaining family were removed from their sight. As the doors closed with a resounding slam, the four men in the room stood in silence before Osamu decided to break it by snapping the latches to his container shut.

"Alright, we better get a move on to the Capitol. We should be there by morning," he drawled as he stood up to brush the crumbs of his coat. Since the two of them didn't have any belongings to bring with them, the two boys followed the two older men out of the hall to where the train was waiting. Iwaizumi hadn't seen one up close before but it looked like something from another world.

The train was made of sleek black metal, smoke rising from above it as the door opened automatically to let them in. As Iwaizumi stepped into it, he nearly felt his jaw drop at how luxurious the inside looked; velvet seats lined the walls, a single crystal chandelier hung in every carriage. Food of every type was available in every room, with a huge dining room laden with every type of food Iwaizumi could ever imagine as Osamu took a seat behind a large plate of onigiri.

"Sit. Eat as much as you like," he said as Iwaizumi and Oikawa looked at one another being saying, "Itadakimasu."

While most people thought that District 12 was made out of savages from the previous Hunger Games, Iwaizumi and Oikawa had been raised by women who valued etiquette. They picked up the chopsticks and began to pick at the food, Iwaizumi's hunger nearly getting the better out of him as he let himself savour the taste of salmon sashimi hitting his tongue. He had never tasted fish before this since District 12 was so far from the sea. Anyone would be lucky to even have any form of meat on their dinner table, let alone food at all.

Oikawa was digging into a bowl of salmon roe, his mouth stuffed to the brim as he ate. Iwaizumi smiled to himself at how much his friend seemed to be enjoying his food since he normally didn't get to eat this. Oikawa's mother worked as a teacher in the local school, although she didn't earn much she tried to make sure her son had the best of everything.

Matsukawa settled on popping open a bottle of vintage wine, pouring it into a glass for himself before drinking straight from the bottle. Osamu didn't seem to care that his fellow passengers seemed to be eating everything in front of them without leaving any for him, his fingers scrolling through a tablet in his hands. About this time, the names and faces of the Tributes from various Districts will be announced, although it didn't do them much good since they had never met them and wouldn't know how lethal they were until they get into the Arena.

From previous years, most of the winning Tributes hailed from District 1 and 2 along with the occasional ones from other Districts. Known as the Districts that support the Capitol the most, children from those Districts have been trained from a young age to compete in the Games, giving them a heads up in learning ways of killing other kids their age. In recent years, things have got even more brutal, some of them killing off their partner within minutes of the Games starting just to get them out of the way or some of them killing off half of the Tributes as soon as the cannon goes off, often having made a pact between them to kill off the others before killing one another at the end of it. Ushijima had been one of those who abandoned his group, picking off Tributes one by one. Hikaru and Haruka had been the last ones in his way, the furthest any District 12 Tributes had made in the Games for years until he mercilessly killed them.

Iwaizumi still couldn't forget his mother's screams as she watched her sons die before her eyes, the clip being rewinded over and over as the commentator gleefully told of how unfortunate it was for the twins to have died. He had spoken of it as being beautiful, that they managed to die together in each other's arms without being separated for eternity. He wished he could kill that sicko when he had the chance.

"The results of various Tributes have come in. I don't know if you want to see them, but here they are," Osamu said as he handed the tablet over to them. Oikawa held onto the tablet like it was made of glass, giving it to Iwaizumi for better measure as he held it in his hands. The tablet felt feather-light in his hands as he swiped the screen, the images of Tributes along with their various Reaping ceremonies passing before his eyes as they drank them in.

District 1 had quite an uproar this year, boasting two Tributes who had made a run to the stage once the escort opened his mouth to ask for volunteers. District 1 had a mad tradition of people lining up to run for the stage to become Tributes, some even trampling others to death in the stampede to the stage. These years tributes were a duo named Kageyama Tobio, a boy with a permanent resting bitch face that rivalled Iwaizumi's own with black hair and dark blue eyes and Hinata Shouyou, a short boy with a wide smile and unruly orange hair that looked too happy for someone who might be dying in a week. Both of them were apparently rivals who wanted to duke it out on the arena, making every attempt to make sure both of them made it into the Games this particular year.

District 2 has what appeared to be a guy with a serious attitude problem, his scowl prominent as the guy with a black bowlcut standing next to him waved to the crowd, shouting he was going to win the Games. His partner looked ready to murder him there and then and knowing how the Games worked, Iwaizumi wouldn't be surprised if he was the one to take him out; Districts 1 and 2 had had a few years of its Tributes killing each other without mercy at the beginning of the Games to avoid conflicts in the end. Ushijima's partner had gotten himself killed in the frenzy a few years back while he himself proceeded to kill off the others before turning his sights to the other Tributes.

Oikawa's hand found its way to Iwaizumi's wrist, Iwaizumi not realizing that his grip on the tablet was so tight, there was a single crack on the screen as Osamu looked ready to go to bed and leave them all alone. Matsukawa looked up from his drink, half of the bottle of wine already in his belly as he looked at the faces of the Tributes flashing on the TV that the tablet was connected to.

"This year's crop looks pretty strong. Well, every year yields strong people but you might need to watch out for a few of them," he murmured as various faces flashed by. The pair from District 3, a guy with a bad bedhead along with a shorter boy with pudding-like hair flashed on the screen before moving on to District 4, which was represented by a silver-haired boy that was more than two heads taller than his companion, who looked more composed than his companion. Iwaizumi noted them down as he scrolled through them as more names and videos flashed past him.

When they were finally done with it, Matsukawa had fallen asleep, the wine bottle on the ground as he snored loudly. Osamu had busied himself with plugging on his earphones and reading something on his personal tablet, onigiri in hand. Iwaizumu and Oikawa were left to their own devices, choosing to wander around the train since they had around 12 hours of a train ride to get to the Capitol.

Asides from the dining room, there was a large gaming room filled with various gaming consoles, although they had no idea how to play them or had the mood to do so. Another room held a large screen TV with plush couches made of leather, the floor covered with lush carpeting as the boys decided to make their home there. Iwaizumi sank into the couch, Oikawa sinking in next to him as Iwaizumi flipped on the TV, various Reaping ceremonies of past showing before them as Oikawa leaned his head on his shoulder.

"Iwa-chan, why did you volunteer as Tribute?"

"I didn't want you to go alone."

"But now, I might have to kill you in the arena. I don't want that to happen."

Oikawa's hands had fisted themselves in his shirt as Iwaizumi reached to pull the other boy against him, Oikawa's soft sobs slowly filling the room, the sounds of Tributes getting chosen and dragged away to their doom filling the background. When he turned to look at Oikawa, the boy's nose was running and eyes puffy, his grip on Iwaizumi getting stronger as he whispered the words he dreaded.

"We will make it out alive, right?"

Iwaizumi had no idea on that. No more than one Tribute was allowed to live and there have never been any exceptions to that matter so far.

"I don't know Oikawa… I don't know…"

As his free hand found its way to winding itself in Oikawa's soft hair, his eyes moved to the TV, which now showed a Tribute with the number 12 on his sleeve cradling a pink haired boy in his arms, wailing as he clutched onto his body. A spear was impaled in his chest, blood still running from his wound as he reached up to cup the Tribute's face before passing before his eyes, the sound of the cannon going off before his name appeared in the sky.

"Hanamaki Takahiro, aged 18 years old from District 12."

The voice floating from the open door belonged to Matsukawa, his eyes fixed on the video, more so at the boy with pink hair being cradled by his comrade. Even though he had just drunk a lot of wine, he still looked sober enough to recognize what was going on before him as his eyes filled with tears, his hand reaching out to the boy in the video as he whispered.

"Makki you moron. Why did you leave me alone to suffer like this?" he whispered as he moved to sink into a chair, his body rocking backwards and forwards as Oikawa and Iwaizumi watched him do so. While they rarely saw the man come out of his house from the Tribute village back in District 12, there were times they had seen him in the graveyard, looking at the grave of a certain Tribute buried there. Rumours had been that the Tribute had been his best friend, possibly lover and when he sacrificed himself for Matsukawa, Matsukawa had turned to drinking to cope with it.

The man sitting before them wasn't the bright, sunny boy who had once been a part of the meme duo of District 12, always smiling with his friend even as they faced death in the arena. He was no reduced to a mess, his clothes stinking of alcohol and his face unshaven for what may be years. Despite that, when he looked at the new Tributes, his eyes were filled with the fiery determination he never had for those before him.

"I will keep you two idiots alive. So once we get to the Capitol, you better listen to everything I say, got it?"

Both boys didn't say anything as Matsukawa leaned back in his chair, moving to unclip the flask from his belt before taking a swig from it, his eyes on the boys as he smacked his lips.

"Since we haven't formally introduced ourselves, let me start first. My name is Matsukawa Issei, you can call me Matsun. I was a Tribute in the Hunger Games 10 years ago and lost my best friend in it. If you two want to stay alive, and you better damn do, keep your heads up and listen to everything I have to say."


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Iwaizumi opened his eyes, the sun was streaming through the large windows lining along the walls of the cabin. He groaned as he tried to sit up, the weight on top of him unmoving as he looked closely at who was lying next to him.

Oikawa slept soundly, his cheeks still stained with the tear tracks of the previous day. After a long talk with Matsun on what they should expect at the Capitol and how things would be going for the next few days, Iwaizumi thought he better be prepared for everything. Even though Oikawa was a big crybaby and always seemed to be tagging along with Iwaizumi in everything, he was much better at dressing to impress the people around him. If he had been born in District 1 or 2, he might have even had the chance to become one of the lethal Tributes that were bred there since he did have a knack for weapons, despite how much he hated using them.

"Hey Shittykawa. Get up," Iwaizumi grunted as he shook his best friend awake. Oikawa shifted in his sleep, drool seeping into Iwaizumi's shirt as he slowly cracked his eyes open to give him a sleepy smile.

"Morning, Iwa-chan," he said, his smile nearly melting Iwaizumi's heart as he tried not to run his fingers through his hair. While he was a menace most of the time, his eyes always did the trick in melting his heart.

As Oikawa shifted to let Iwaizumi get up, the door slid open to reveal a sleepy looking Matsun, a whisky bottle in hand as he hiccupped, "Morning kids. I trust you have a good nights sleep?"

Without waiting for them to reply, he jerked a thumb to the window, the sight of a large reservoir coming into view as a city made of glass and steel followed soon after. Iwaizumi's jaw dropped when he realized that the city looked like it had come straight out of a fairytale; everything was of a bright colour, some buildings even had rainbow colours for glass windows. A large wall of steel surrounded the city, the train chugging along the reservoir as Matsun clapped his hands together, nearly making the jump out of their skins.

"Make sure you look awake and presentable. One thing's for sure; these Capitol folks like pretty Tributes so do your best to try and catch their eye. They might be one of your Saviours out in the Arena."

As he closed the door behind him, both of them looked at one another before Oikawa moved to the dresser, which was filled with fresh clothes that fitted them both well. To think that people would actually go so far to make so many clothes that would be worn by teenagers that were doomed to die in a week was almost unthinkable. Oikawa tossed a new shirt to Iwaizumi before ducking into the bathroom, saying he needed to look refreshed as Iwazumi changed out of them. As he pulled off the shirt from his body, the train entered the tunnel leading into the Capitol, nearly sending him into a panic when the door slid open to reveal Osamu munching on onigiri once more.

"Come on. We don't have all day," he grunted as Oikawa came out of the bathroom, his face clear of any signs of distress he had from the previous day. Iwaizumi got to his feet, Osamu moving to escort them back to the front cabin when they rolled into what appeared to be a train station of sorts. People were crowding around the track, Iwaizumi's mind going wild as he thought if they were for real or if this was cosplay gone wrong.

The majority of them wore outfits that didn't seem to make sense; their colour were too bright and the way they are worn doesn't seem to make sense. Iwaizumi spotted a woman holding onto a cat that had been made over to look like a tiger, her own face having been modified to look like one with actual whiskers sprouting from her cheeks. All in all, everyone looked like they had gone mad.

"Whatever you do, don't try to say anything snarky. I don't agree with the fashion even though I come from here," Osamu drawled as he opened the door, a whooshing sound filling the air before it was replaced by the sound of clapping hands and cheers. Osamu stepped down, Matsukawa doing the same with a yawn as Iwaizumi turned to look at Oikawa.

"You ready?" he asked as Oikawa nodded, moving to give his hand a squeeze before turning to the door. Oikawa stepped out first, a smile plastered on his face as he waved to the crowd, much to the delight of the ladies standing around.

"Oikawa-sama!" they squealed as Iwaizumi tried not to snort. He hated to admit that Oikawa could be very appealing if he wished to be with the ladies and after all those years of him trying to flirt with every girl in the district, it seemed to have paid off pretty well. Even some of the men swooned as Oikawa blew a kiss at them, the Peacekeepers doing their best to control the crowd as Iwaizumi finally stepped down from the train.

The light was harsh to his eyes, so bright he thought the energy it used could power his house for a few months without any problems. All around him, there was evidence of how much wastage of resources was going on; the light was too bright, there were too many TV screens showing useless advertisements and loud music playing over his head that reminded him of crows crowing in the forest when he went hunting. He didn't know if the people here had nothing better to do with themselves or if they were just oblivious of how much people in the Districts were suffering right now.

"Come on, Iwa-chan," Oikawa whispered as he reached to tug him along, people around them squealing as Iwaizumi tried not to blush red.

"Oh my they're so cute together!"

"They would make such a cute couple!"

"The tragedy of such a beautiful couple being thrown into the Games! I think I might cry right now!"

All the voices speaking out made Iwaizumi's mind swim as Oikawa led him forward, not seeming to be bothered at the fact people may be thinking they were dating or something. Matsun and Osamu didn't seem to bother about the commotion he two of them were causing as they stepped into a bright pink car, the driver whisking them through the streets of the Capitol, which looked even more horrendous.

The streets were made of every colour in existence and the amount of shops that sold ridiculous clothing that lined the street made Iwaizumi feel faint. People with even crazier outfits walked the streets, some of them turning to squeal at the Tributes in the car as Oikawa smiled and waved at them. Iwaizumi figured he better learned how to smile like Oikawa did if he wanted to get sponsors for the Games.

"If you two keep this up, you might actually be able to get a few sponsors. People always do like a few love scandals in the Games," Matsun mused as he looked at them, Iwaizumi not realizing his hand was still in Oikawa as he quickly snatched it away. Oikawa didn't even seem to notice, staring out of the window as he watched the Capitol pass by.

They finally stopped at the only building that seemed normal in the entire city; a tall skyscraper building made of black glass. As they rolled into it, Iwaizumi spotted a man with wild red hair in a similarly bright red tuxedo standing outside, fanning himself with a large red fan as his eyes narrowed at them. When they got out of the car, the man was quick to jump on them, grinning from ear to ear as he eyed the two Tributes.

"Oh nice. Very nice. We finally have some good looking boys to work with. The pair before this was so scruffy, I was all over myself on what to do with them," he sighed as Osamu rolled his eyes.

"Just get them prepped for tonight. I don't want to waste anymore time."

"Certainly, Miya-san. I am Tendou Satori, the stylist in charge of the two of you. A pleasure to meet your acquaintances," the man grinned, his smile so razor sharp that Iwaizumi could feel it cutting through him as he stood straight up.

"Come on then. No dawdling. We need to get your ruffians all cleaned up and ready for your debut parade tonight. The whole Capitol is watching and I want to make sure you two are the stars of the show!" he said as he grabbed them by the shoulders and marched them into the building. The inside of the building was consisted of many doors and glass, the top so high that Iwaizumi could feel his legs shaking as Tendou led them into a glass lift. Iwaizumi forgot how much he hated heights and was even more terrified when he found out that they were staying on the top floor.

Not like riding in a lift that had a glass floor was helping him much at the moment.

"Come on now. Don't be so frightened! There's nothing to be afraid of, see?" Tendou said as he jumped a few times, trying to emphasise that it wouldn't crack as Iwaizumi's knuckles turned white from gripping the sides of his pants. Matsun didn't look amused at all, complaining about how the booze seemed to be getting worse while Osamu was texting someone on his phone, a scowl on his face as he typed furiously.

Once they reached the top floor, Osamu and Matsun made their way to the living quarters while Oikawa and Iwaizumi were separated for their make overs. When Iwaizumi stepped into the room, the first thing he noticed were three people standing before him, wide grins on their faces before they pounced on him and tackled him to the ground, stripping him of every clothing he had.

"What the hell?" he yelled as Tendou clicked his tongue.

"Hmm, you have a great body here. Maybe we can do something about making the outfits show it off. Might need to trim some hair here and there," he murmured as his eyes roved lower, Iwaizumi trying his best to cover his private as Tendou clapped his hands.

"Alright people! Let's get to work!"

Iwaizumi was shuffled into a chamber that sprayed water so hard that he thought he was getting shot from numerous angles. Before he could retaliate, there were mechanical sponges and brushed emerging from the walls, scrubbing away at every part of his body until he felt raw, although he felt cleaner than he ever did. Once he was done with the shower, he was whisked out and rubbed down with fluffy towels, clad in a bathrobe before his hair was done. He even had his eyebrows clipped, which he thought was ridiculous but was glad Tendou hadn't gone to clip hair in other places too. Or waxed him.

"Nice. Very nice. I shall see you two tonight for the parade. Oh, I can't wait to make you two look like the most stunning couple of the night," Tendou grinned as he finally left them in peace, Oikawa and Iwaizumi left to their own devices when Osamu finally came to collect them.

"Well, at least you two look nice now. And don't stink, I was a bit worried about how you smelled, Iwaizumi. You better eat some food before the parade, you're going to need it," Osamu said as they moved into the living quarters, the space so huge it could have accommodate both of their houses in it. Everything seemed to be made of some form of steel; the chandelier hanging in the air a shiny black, the table in the middle laden with food as the boys went over to eat.

As they ate, Matsun talked them through what to expect during the Parade and how they should act. Iwaizumi was liking the idea less and less as he heard more about it, not fancying the idea of having to be paraded in stupid costumes for a good hours just to please people. Oikawa on the other hand seemed to be listening intently to what Matsun was saying, drinking in all the information he could before they went for a nap.

While they each had their own room, Oikawa opted to stay with Iwaizumi anyways, both of them settling on other sides of the bed. When both of them failed to rest, Oikawa took to changing the scenary of the window running along the wall, moving past pictures of forests, lakes and Capitol citizens going about their business. There was even the sound to accompany it that made it feel so real.

How could people revel in such luxuries when there are others in the Districts suffering so much?

"Hey, Oikawa. I don't know if I can do it tonight," Iwaizumi whispered, his mind trying to tune out what may happen that night. He hated the crowds, he hated the fact they were going to be used for entertainment.

He hated the fact that these few days may be the last he spent with Oikawa.

Oikawa's arms snaked around his middle to give him a squeeze, his voice filling the quiet of the room as his body warmth slowly lulled him to sleep.

"You have me, Iwa-chan. We'll be fine."

…

"You two look amazing!" Tendou grinned as he watched the Tributes show off his handiwork. The man was smiling so much Iwaizumi wondered how his cheeks didn't ache as he walked down the hall, wishing he could stop the clanking noise his costume was making.

He and Oikawa were dressed as knights, Oikawa being the king more specifically (He looks more handsome and the ladies would totally dig into him. You look more like a… knight in shining armour, according to Tendou). He had a crown made of black onyx sitting on his brown curls and Iwaizumi hated to admit he looked very much like the part that he was meant to play. Iwaizumi was dressed in a similar costume to his, although he sported a fake but still heavy sword on his side. The outfit was so hot, he thought he might very well be sweating a pool inside.

The others Tributes were bustling around with their own stylists, getting ready for the parade. Chariots drawn by horses were being escorted into the space, Tributes starting to get into them as the time for the parade approached.

The pair from District 1 was sported so much bling that Iwaizumi thought he might go blind. Kageyama, the boy with the permanent scowl was bickering with Hinata over him looking like a king. Iwaizumi couldn't blame the shorter boy since Kageyama was dressed in the extravagance of District 1; he even had a huge velvet crown on his head. Hinata was dressed up nicely as well, his shining armour being a contrast to Iwaizumi's dark one.

"Bakeyama! Why do you get the crown? Just because you're the King doesn't mean you get to have it?!"

"What do you mean King?!"

"King of the Court. Baka baka baka!"

"Boke Hinata! I'm going to kill you!" Kageyama roared as their stylist, a man with blonde hair pushed back with a hairband yelled for them to shut up and get into their chariot. Both of them stuck their tongues out at each other before stepping onto it, Kageyama's face red from the yelling as Iwaizumi turned his focus to the other Tributes.

Each Tribute pair was dressed in a style mirroring the products their District produced. For District 12, it was coal, hence the black. District 1 was jewelry and luxurious goods, which explained the bling Kageyama and Hinata wore. The pair from District 7 were dressed in red indian outfits resembling that of owls, feathers sticking out from their costumes. One of them had a hairstyle that reminded Iwaizumi of a horned owl, a large grin on his face as he tried to get his companion to smile.

The Tributes from District 6 looked like they had come from the moon. The Tribute with silver hair looked radiant in his shroud, his companion trying his best not to ogle at the sight before him as a pair of white horses pulled them out. The pair from District 2 were dressed in army costumes from bygone ages, completed with fake pistols. Shirabu seemed to be pissed that they were not real; he looked ready to blow Goshiki's brains out from how the boy was driving him mad from the bombardment of questions he was giving him. Iwaizumi prayed that Goshiki would stay safe during the Games.

The few girls that were part of this years crop of Tributes didn't disappoint either. The female Tribute from District 8 stood tall and proud, wearing a flowing white dress that made her look like a goddess as the man beside her tried to hold her hand. The female Tribute from District 9 did not fare as well; while she looked cute in her corn colour outfit, she was shaking in fear even as her partner held her hand and tried to sooth her.

One by one, the Tributes were pulled into position, lining up according to district number. Iwaizumi sucked in a breath as they waited for the signal to go out, his heart hammering loudly as he tried not to faint.

"Iwa-chan, look at me," Oikawa whispered as Iwaizumi did as he said. His best friend looked regal in his costume, bringing out his features and the confidence that bubbled out from within. Even though Oikawa may look weak, he was one of the strongest willed people and would never back down from a challenge. Iwaizumi continued to stare at him until the signal came, the doors opening for them to exit.

Slowly, the chariots got pulled out into the night air, the sound of the spectators shouting and clapping from the arena hitting Iwaizumi's ears as he tried not to see his face being shown on the camera. The cheers rose as some of the Tributes smiled and waved at them, some of the spectators screaming out familiar names as Iwaizumi tried to ignore it all.

"Iwa-chan. Smile more. You wouldn't get any sponsors if you don't smile."

As Iwaizumi looked past Oikawa at the large screens doting the Avenue of Tributes, Iwaizumi caught sight of his face, looking very much annoyed by the whole idea as Oikawa leaned in to whisper in his ear. That sent the spectators into a frenzy, some of them beginning to chant "IwaOi" loudly as Iwaizumi tried not to blush at the ship name.

"Smile and wave, Iwa-chan. Smile and wave," Oikawa smirked into his ear as Iwaizumi turned to face the crowd, trying his best to smile as they rolled down the Avenue of Tributes. He slowly felt more comfortable in his skin, going as far to remove his sword from his side and brandishing it in the air as he grabbed onto Oikawa's hand to pull it up. Oikawa squeaked at the gesture, turning red as Iwaizumi smirked in return.

"The crowd likes us right? So why don't we give it to them?"

Oikawa looked like he was beginning to regret his decision as they rolled down, both of them basking in a night of glory and fame before their fates were decided on the Arena.


	4. Chapter 4

**So this is the next chapter that I managed to complete. Now with going into the final stage of my university undergraduate life and dealing with life in general (got a half marathon tomorrow, wohoo with Storm Jorge on the way), I might not be able to update this much but with the ideas swirling in my mind, I'm going to finish this AND my Owari no Haikyuu story. I swear I will and I hope you will continue to support me in this journey.**

**I don't own the characters.**

After the events of the previous day, Iwaizumi didn't want to get out of bed, his head still throbbing from the amount of noise he was exposed to the last night. On the bright side, he managed to strip off his costume the moment he stepped off the chariot, much to Tendou's horror since he wore a dark undershirt and pants underneath. A few minutes ride up the lift to the apartment, and he was sound asleep crashed on top of his bed.

As he tried to get up, he felt Oikawa stirring next to him, the blanket draped over his hips. His hair was sleep mused, one side of his head having been squashed from his hand pressing into it the entire night. Iwaizumi could almost imagine Oikawa drooling onto the bedsheet; a habit of his whenever he was sleeping comfortably. Back in District 12, they were lucky to even get beds of their own, let alone pillows filled with actual feathers.

Not wanting to stir his best friend from his sleep, Iwaizumi gently got out of the bed, moving to cover the blanket over Oikawa's exposed shoulders as the boy murmured, "Iwa-chan" in his sleep. Groaning at how the nickname was going to be the death of him someday, Iwaizumi slipped his feet into fluffy white slippers and padded into the bathroom, turning on the tap in the sink to wash his face.

The bathroom was big enough to fill half of his house in it and maybe even enough to buy five houses in his street. The bathtub was made of black marble, about ten different types of soap and assorted bath bombs lining the edge. A shower sat next to it, his image reflecting in the glass. Overhead was yet another chandelier, this time made of teardrop crystals that cast various colours of the rainbow across the room.

While Iwaizumi didn't like the idea of wasting water on the bath, he couldn't resist turning on the taps, letting the room fill with steam before stripping himself down, stepping into it with a sigh of bliss. The water seemed to suck all the pain and ache in his shoulders, rendering him limp as he sighed. He dropped a bath bomb into the water and the surface was soon filled with every colour of the rainbow imaginable, Iwaizumi grinning to himself as he tried to pop the bubbles. He couldn't remember the last time he had ever seen bubbles these big; they could never afford to have luxuries like this.

On the wall was a clock that read six in the morning. Sometimes Iwaizumi would go for a run around the District, just to keep fit even though he already had a lot of workout going on hunts and occasionally working in the mines. He thought he might do so in the Capitol but considering how he might be seen as trying to escape and he didn't want to use the gym on the premises since he hated the idea of running in a stationary position, he thought he might as well wait until the training session that day.

He heard the door opening, his head turning to see Oikawa walking in in sleep mused clothing. The other boy didn't seem to notice him as he went to pee, Iwaizumi turning his head to give some privacy before washing his hands in the sink. As Oikawa turned to make his way back to bed, he turned to give his friend a smirk before saying, "For a gorilla, the ladies might actually love you."

Iwaizumi did everything in his power to not throw a bottle of shampoo at his friend since he didn't want to waste such precious materials before ducking into the water, cursing himself for dragging himself into Oikawa's business.

…

"Morning," Matsun yawned as they sat seated around the dining table. Yet again, it was laden with food, Iwaizumi's stomach growling as they dug into it. As he picked up a bowl of salmon roe donburi, he brushed hands with a man bending over to replace the food, his skin cold to the touch as Iwaizumi muttered an apology when he realized that he never noticed servants being present in the apartment.

Now that he looked around, he noticed a few of them standing around the premises, their hands folded on their stomachs as they stood silently. Their eyes were fixed to the ground, Iwaizumi gulping down his food a little too harshly as he realized what they were; Avoxes, people who had rebelled against the Capitol and as punishment, had their tongues removed and remained in servitude of the Capitol as the lowest class. He had heard rumours of people being shipped off to the Capitol never to be seen again but he didn't expect to see living proof of how cruel humans could be to other humans.

His food suddenly didn't seem to taste as good anymore as he set his bowl down. Oikawa seemed to have noticed as well, although he didn't seem affected by the reality of them being served by Avoxes. Osamu was still munching on his precious onigiri while flipping through a tablet while Matsun was sipping on green tea, which was a first while going through the Tributes they were going to face.

"Alright, you two. You know you will have a special training session for the next few days but first things first, this old man is going to impart some advice on you," he said, once breakfast was cleared. The group had moved into the living room, the Capitol sky a bright blue outside as Matsun closed the curtains to avoid them getting distracted. Iwaizumi never really thought about how Matsun looked but today, he seemed a bit fresher and even had his beard and moustache shaved. He even looked like he had his first shower in several weeks.

The training sessions were where Tributes would gather in a large training room located beneath the building, getting some advice and training from various instructors on the weapons that were available. They could learn anything from weaving to how to make poisons, along with testing out different kinds of weapons. While weapons would be the easiest and most efficient thing to keep them alive in the Arena, they were hard to come by considering Tributes would have to make a run for the Cornucopia and fight to get them; hence why so many die within minutes of the Games starting.

"Let's start with what you two can do. I assume you can use some form of weapon?" Matsun asked as they nodded.

"I use the bow mostly but I know how to make use of knives. Oikawa is better at throwing knives, especially small ones."

"Good, that means you two can fend for yourselves with weapons. Do you know anything about poisonous plants from home?"

"Nightlock is the most prominent one."

"Then you two should be alright. The trick for the training is to not stand out too much. While you need all the training you can get, if the other Tributes see how good you are, they will mark you as a target to take out early on in the Games, so its best to keep a low key. Test out a few things here and there, but don't try to act all tough and go all out with your specialities. Speaking of weapons, don't try and dash out into the Cornucopia and try to get your hands on some; unless you're very fast runners, you won't stand a chance in surviving against the other Tributes.

What I can try and do is to market you among the sponsors. Every year, Tributes will get sponsorships from Capitol citizens, depending on how popular they are and how likely they are to survive in the Arena. You two have good faces and Oikawa, with your charm, you should be able to get some good sponsors. Iwaizumi, try to at least do something about your resting bitch face," Matsun grunted as Oikawa snickered into the back of his hand before getting a whack from Iwaizumi.

"I will do some pulling from my end as well so make sure you put your backs into it," Osamu spoke from the coach he inhabited on the other side of the room, onigiri in hand as Matsun nodded.

"The two of us will be working to get you guys sponsors as the Games go on. But first things first, you must make sure you appeal to the crowd. The Capitol citizens love a good gossip, good looking Tributes. You two are from the poorest District and yet turn out quite handsome so that's a plus for you guys. When you go onto television with Miya Atsumu in a few nights, make sure you use that night to your advantage."

"Miya?" Iwaizumi wondered as Osamu sighed, "He's my younger twin brother and a dick. I wished he would just die. He's talk shows are the most embarrassing thing in existence."

"And there you have it. Atsumu will try his best to draw out the best qualities in the Tributes on that night and Tendou will be making sure you look picture perfect as well. Now, if you two can figure out a strategy of how to appeal to the audience without making yourself a target for other Tributes, now would be a good time."

All the while, Oikawa had been silent in the conversation, letting Iwaizumi do the talking as he sat, fingers crossed on his knees. While Oikawa could be bubbly when he needs to, he was often silent, listening in on the conversation and lapping up every information he could get. As stupid and airheaded as he was, Oikawa was a man who knew how to strategise a good plan.

Oikawa smirked as he looked at Matsun, his brain working as he told Matsun of his plan, which Iwaizumi was already feeling was going to be a bad idea.

…

About an hour later, Iwaizumi was picking at the skin-tight uniform he had been given, the number 12 branded on his right sleeve. The uniform itself would have been decent, if it didn't show off every curve in his body, including his ass. As he tried to pull at it to make the outfit less tight, Matsun merely waggled his eyes at the spectacle as Oikawa snickered.

"Iwa-chan, the ladies are going to love your booty. Maybe you should wear that more often."

"One more word and you're dead Shittykawa."

"Mean! I'm trying to help you, Iwa-chan!"

"Seriously, how do you two even stand each other?" Osamu groaned as he followed them from behind. While Matsun had taken charge of briefing the boys about what they needed to do, Osamu had been staring at his tablet the entire time, eating about ten onigiri every hour. Once he had gotten up to take a phone call and the others could hear him shouting from the other end of the hall, his voice bouncing off the walls.

"That's your freaking business, Atsumu! I don't give a shit whether you need gossip, it's your job to figure it out!"

There was a crack as something went smashing into the wall and when Osamu returned, his normally passive face was so boiled with fury that the others refrained from asking anything about his twin as they continued with their strategy.

While they were going to be training and gaining as many skills as they could before being sent to the Arena, Matsun and Osamu were tasked with mingling with their fellow Victors and escorts. Matsun didn't look particularly happy in having to deal with the other Victors since some of them had killed people he knew in the past and vice versa.

After a pretty silent ride down the lift, Iwaizumi finally resigned to his fate of having to wear the uniform, with the assurance of being able to take it off in an hour. As they stepped off the lift into the basement level where the training centre was located, Iwaizumi couldn't help but flinch at the sight of the Tributes in front of him.

While some of them had looked ethereal in their costumes the previous night, now they looked ready to get to work in finding their prey. The Tributes from District 2 towered over most of their competitors, Shirabu's eyes scanning their faces as they joined the crowd. They had been the last ones to arrive, which didn't help since everyone turned to stare at them.

The angelic duo from District 6 was standing together, the silver-haired one whispering to his companion as he nodded at him. Iwaizumi believed his name was Sugawara Koushi. The boy next to him had muscles that could very well rival his own as well as an ass that was very well defined (Iwaizumi mentally slapped himself for eyeing other people's butts).

The Tributes of District 3 looked over at them with catlike eyes, the taller one sending a smirk over that made his skin crawl. His companion seemed to have his eyes fixed on a gaming tablet of sorts, his fingers flying over the console as his friend turned to chide him to stop playing. Kageyama and Hinata were bickering over something, this time being ignored by their escort who seemed to have given up on the two. He was a small man with black-rimmed glasses, looking far more ordinary and timid than a Capitol citizen normally would as he whispered a mantra under his breath of them being good boys and that they were going to survive this.

"Go and have fun mingling with them. Remember what I told you about making friends," Matsun said as he clapped them on the shoulders before moving down the hall. Osamu merely nodded at them as he walked after him, leaving Oikawa and Iwaizumi to stand with the others.

None of the Tributes paid much head to them, although some of them snuck frantic glances at their direction. Iwaizumi was starting to feel more uncomfortable from the terrified looks of some of the tributes, especially those from the further Districts that normally didn't win the Games. The blonde-haired girl from the night before was shaking so hard her partner had to hold her up, a spoon in his hand in case she had a seizure. The others merely stared at the ground, some rocking on their feet or staring at the wall.

Finally, the doors to the training centre slid open and Kageyama and Hinata rushed into it, calling dibs on weapons as the others trailed behind them. Iwaizumi whistled low as he checked out the place; it had state in the art simulators, weapons of every sort including stations that taught basic poison making and camouflage. While most of the Tributes had gone off to separate stations, Iwaizumi couldn't help but glance at the array of bows and arrows set against the wall, the metal shining in the harsh light as Oikawa put a hand to his shoulder.

"Remember. Don't stand out," he whispered as Iwaizumi nodded. As much as he wanted to try and impress the others and show what he was capable off, they didn't want to take any chances of painting targets on themselves.

Instead, they wandered over to the poisonous section, where an instructor beamed as she began to talk through them what plants were edible or poisonous. Even though Iwaizumi had gone hunting and foraging many times, he still had a lot to learn about the flora and fauna of the Arena, if it was one based in the forest. The Arena locations changed every year; you could have a forest one year or a desolated war zone the next. At least they haven't tried anything like having an underwater world since Iwaizumi didn't exactly like to swim.

Oikawa was doing most of the chatting with the instructor, a smile on his face that made Iwaizumi's skin want to crawl. While he knew that Oikawa was doing it to get the most out of the instructor, he knew that deep down, Oikawa was loathing the very idea of them being there at the moment.

"Thanks so much! I think I might have a better chance of survival right now," Oikawa beamed as the instructor blushed. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as she eyed them two before letting them move away. Iwaizumi had a funny feeling that she was staring at his ass way too much when he squeaked.

"Come on now. I didn't know you make such a sound, Iwa-chan," Oikawa grinned as Iwaizumi turned red in the face. Some of the Tributes had looked up from their work to see a little commotion, a few of the guys with smirks on their faces. The ones with ridiculous hair seemed to be ogling him now; District 7's Bokuto Koutarou, in particular, looked as though he had happened across a delicious snack. His partner didn't look too happy though, shooting them a glare before bringing Bokuto back to focus on the instructor showing them how to throw a spear.

"Seriously, you're going to be the death of me, Shittykawa," Iwaizumi growled as they walked across the room, surveying what was going on around them. District 1 and 2 had made a home for themselves with the weapons, Kageyama and Hinata putting up a show of attacking one another with broadswords while Goshiki was begging a disgruntled Shirabu to spar with him. Daichi and Suga from District 6 were speaking to an instructor on how to use some knives while the black beauty from District 8 was going through how to make poisons as her partner ogled her body from her skin-tight uniform.

Hanging right above them in a glass room were sponsors, escorts as well as past Victors from the Hunger Games. Matsun was chatting with a man with wild pink and purple hair, a champagne flute in his hand as he laughed at something he said. Osamu was in a headlock with a man who looked identical to him save for the blonde hair and blonde ears peeking out from his head. As Atsumu turned, Iwaizumi saw a fox tail curling around his legs, the tail even seeming to move depending on its owner's mood as Atsumu growled at his brother, the fur standing up as Osamu glared at him.

In the centre of the room was a long buffet table, a roasted pig sitting in the centre of it all with an apple in its mouth. A man was picking at it, his large hands stabbing into the meat to bring it to his plate. As Iwaizumi continued to stare at him, recognition began to flood his mind as the man looked down at them, his expression stoic as ever as black eyes stared into his soul.

Next to him, Oikawa had moved to grip him on his shoulder, moving to steer him away as Ushijima Wakatoshi, the winner of the Hunger Games five years ago looked down at them. There was one clear expression in his eyes that made Iwaizumi's blood boil, his fingers itching to wrap themselves around the man's neck as Oikawa hissed at him to calm down.

"We won't get anywhere if we hurt him in the open. You want to die before having a chance to go into the Arena and fight?" Oikawa hissed as he led Iwaizumi as far as he could from the glass cage. Iwaizumi's mind was foggy, blood rushing through his ears to block out all sound around him until Oikawa pulled him out of his trance with a snap, "Hajime. Calm down."

Slowly, Iwaizumi felt himself calm down. He didn't realize he was holding his breath as he finally let it all out, breathing as Oikawa rubbed circles on his back to help him return to normal. No one seemed to have noticed what had happened though, and Iwaizumi wanted it to stay that way.

He was not about to make himself look weak.


	5. Chapter 5

_Iwaizumi was standing in the front row, his neck craning to see the two boys running for their lives across the screen. The set up was in a wartorn district, buildings around them crushed and rubble standing in their way as the twins desperately tried to run from it when an arrow struck one of them in his Achilles heel. His scream tore through the air as he collapsed onto the ground, clutching onto it as his twin crouched down next to him, his trident rattling to the ground as he tried to help his brother to his feet._

"_Haruka ni-chan!" Iwaizumi yelled as Oikawa tried to stop him from running to the screen. In front of them were Peacekeepers ready to shoot them down if anyone tried to disrupt the Games. Even though they were miles away from one another, Iwaizumi could feel his brother's pain, his raged breaths becoming fainter and fainter as he bled._

"_Don't Iwa-chan!"_

"_I can't leave him be. He's going to kill them!" Iwaizumi yelled as the Tribute from District 2 strode towards the twins. Haruka was begging his brother to run, even as he picked up his trident and swung it in the air, getting into a battle position as he yelled, "I will kill you right now, Ushijima!"_

_Ushijima didn't flinch as he stared down at the twins, Haruka's eyes going wide in fear as he begged Ushijima for mercy._

"_Please, spare my brother. At least take my life when I'm dying now."_

"_Hell no! I'm not going to let this bastard win the Games! We're going to go home to mum and dad and tell Hajime that we're the best bros in the world! We're going to eat good food every day and be safe," Hikaru snarled as he gripped his trident, the weapon slipping in his grasp from having held onto his brother's bloody foot. As he held the weapon in front of him, Ushijima didn't so much flinch as he removed the broadsword from his side, swinging it as Hikaru brought it up to counter it._

"_You're weak. The fact that you're even begging for another to live means you're not worthy to be crowned Victor of the Hunger Games," Ushijima rumbled as he sliced through the air, Hikaru crying out as the sword cut neatly through his trident, snapping it in half before cleaving through his left arm. Hikaru screamed as he collapsed next to his brother, blood spilling on the ground as Ushijima raised his sword high._

"_Let me put you out of your misery."_

"_STOP!" _

_Even as Iwaizumi screamed over and over for Ushijima to stop, to let his brothers go free, he couldn't stop the moment as the sword drove into them, blood cascading from the stone as he pumped his fist in the air, two shots ringing through the air as a single voice rang through the air._

"_And the winner of the 70__th__ Hunger Games goes to Ushijima Wakatoshi of District 2! What a thrilling game!"_

_A wailing sound pierced Iwaizumi's ears as his mother collapsed to the ground, howling as she cried out the names of her sons. Her husband wasn't faring any better as he held onto her, screaming profanities at the Peacekeepers as he made a beeline for them, brandishing his fists as he ran past Iwaizumi._

"_You bastards will pay for killing them! Screw the freaking Capitol! You deserve to rot in hell, you child murderers!" he screamed as the Peacekeepers took aim. Iwaizumi didn't have time to scream as the crowd exploded, gunshots filling the air as gunfire rained on the audience. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, Oikawa covering the top of him as he tried to block him out from the screams of panic. Iwaizumi didn't dare to look beside him, blood already pooling from his father as he stared at his new reality._

"_Iwa-chan. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."_

"Iwa-chan. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Oikawa whispered in his sleep as Iwaizumi bucked up from his dream, his body coated with sweat as he gasped for air. The sound of gunshots still rang clearly in his mind as he fumbled for the lights, his hand hitting the button to turn on every light in the vicinity as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Its been years since he dreamed of losing his family.

That day, Oikawa and his mother had spent every moment trying to console the two, Mrs Oikawa promising to take care of her and her son while Oikawa held onto Iwaizumi in his room, the smaller boy sobbing into his chest as he cried for his brothers and father. After the incident, his father had been carted off, with the Peacekeepers saying that he would be put on display for the next few days as warning to those who opposed the Capitol. Iwaizumi felt like throwing up as he thought of watching maggots crawling out of his family's bodies when Oikawa pressed him tighter against his chest.

"_I swear, Iwa-chan. I will protect you. I promise you that everything will be alright."_

Iwaizumi groaned as he ran his fingers through his sweaty hair, moving to step out of the bed into the bathroom. He flipped on all the taps and threw in multiple bath bombs, an array of colours and smells filling the room as he sank into it, not caring if the water was way too hot as his skin began to burn.

How was he going to get revenge on his family when he had to kill Oikawa in the process?

That night will be the night they will formally be introduced to the Capitol. No matter how much he hated those people, they were the only chance of them surviving in the Games when others will be out to get them. Iwaizumi's heart clenched at the thought of dying, ducking his head under the water to block out the smell of blood and gunfire as he tried to forget it all when a hand reached into the bathtub and yanked him out.

"Iwa-chan?! What the hell?! First you turn on the lights and woke me up and now you're trying to drown yourself in the bathtub?!"

Iwaizumi let out a strangled breath as Oikawa pulled him against him, nearly slipping into the bath as he clung onto Iwaizumi's wet body, now slick with soap and foam. Even as his shirt got soaked through with multiple colours, Oikawa didn't let him go as he corded his fingers through his hair, holding onto him as tightly as he could before moving to slap him on the cheeks.

"What the hell?" Iwaizumi snapped as Oikawa did the same to himself, slapping himself as Iwaizumi's eyes went wide..

"Both of us are in the shit together. You need me and I need you so we better get our shit together and show those Capitol assholes what we're made of, alright?" Oikawa growled as Iwaizumi numbly nodded. Oikawa rarely shouted like that to him, though he knew the other boy could get very dramatic in certain situations. In this case, Oikawa placed his forehead onto Iwaizumi's own, closing his eyes as he whispered to him.

"I will be there for you. Always."

His breath ghosted his mouth as he slowly pulled away, leaving Iwaizumi dumbfounded for a minute as Oikawa left the bathroom to use his own. Iwaizumi placed a hand on his forehead, wondering if he had gone mad from soaking in hot water for too long or if he had just imagined Oikawa being the sensible one of the two of them for the first time in forever.

Was he blushing from the heat or was it the fact that Oikawa had nearly kissed him when he was buck naked?

…

Iwaizumi thought he would rather die than wear another freaking suit for the rest of his life. He was tugging at the crisp black outfit hugging his body, the velvety material making his skin itch whenever he tried to move in it. Despite the uncomfortable feeling of constantly having his skin prickling whenever he moved, he had to admit that he looked pretty good in this.

Tendou had come over earlier that day to do some fitting sessions with them and after having a bicker with Oikawa on who managed to get which outfit, Iwaizumi had settled with black while Oikawa went with white. Iwaizumi had scowled at the fact he was going to look even more daunting in his outfit when he lost to Oikawa in the game of rock, papers and scissors, a game of chance he always seemed to fail since he was a kid.

As he stood in front of the full length mirror in front of him, Iwaizumi couldn't help but give himself a pat on the back for all the exercising he had done across the years when going hunting. After hunting for animals in the forest for years, his arms had build up quite a bit of muscle from having to haul animals across the forest and his fingers callused from drawing arrow after arrow and notching them into his bow. As he flexed his muscles, his black dress shirt bulged, threatening to burst open when Tendou let out a chuckle from the other side of the room.

Their designer was a strange one. While Iwaizumi had felt he should put up his guard around him, Tendou seemed to treat everything around him like a game or even a joke. Most of the time he spent chatting with him about the latest manga series he was reading (Iwaizumi had no idea what that was since they hardly ever had any books except for the ones issued in school) or just gushing about how hot Ushijima looked. The man seemed to have a bit of a crush on the Victor, which Iwaizumi wished he would keep to himself especially when Tendou went on a rave on wishing he could design an outfit that would show off Ushijima's toned abs.

"If you're done looking at yourself in the mirror, you might want to go now. Its almost time," Osamu groaned from the door, his hand holding onto the tablet as he scanned through the plans for the night. Tonight was the night Osamu hated the most on the schedule, not because he had to go onto the stage, but because of the fact the whole nation's female and male population would be raving as his brother does his yearly Hunger Game talk show. According to him, Miya Atsumu had an ego the size of Panem and when he had gone on to become a television presenter, his ego had inflated even now, much to Osamu's horror and annoyance.

Before Osamu could say anything, Oikawa came prancing into the room, looking dashing in his white suit. He had a black rose blooming in his breast pocket, the flower a stark contrast to the white rose Iwaizumi had on his person. Tendou had insisted that they wear outfits that show that despite how polar opposite they may be, they are a duo to be reckoned with on the Arena, although Iwaizumi didn't exactly understood the point he was trying to give. Matsun followed behind him soon after, dressed in a crisp black and white tuxedo and looking surprisingly sober. With his face shaven, he looked more like the Victor he was back in his youth, even looking handsome to a certain degree.

"Iwa-chan, you look so good! Try not to burst your shirt will you? Your gorilla muscles look ready to blow," Oikawa giggled as Iwaizumi flexed them out of habit. He had always done so when he wanted to beat the crap out of Oikawa when they were kids.

"I think the ladies would actually love it if his shirt comes off in public in tatters. People these days dig all sorts of weird fashion trends," Matsun grinned as Oikawa gasped, "As if people would like a gorilla like him!"

"Shut it, Shittykawa or I will make sure you get a nice makeover before the show," Iwaizumi growled as Osamu stepped in between them.

"Try anything stupid and I will make sure the cameras zoom in on you nice and close and let my brother grill you for what he's worth. He likes to interrogate Tributes, and he seems to be particularly interested in you two."

Both of them fell silent as his words, Tendou clapping his hands at satisfaction of his work before herding them out of the building to where the TV station was. This was the first time they ever went out in a car at night, the streets of the Capitol bustling with people enjoying themselves. The streets had lights popping up every few meters, lighting up the city to make it seem as though it was still daytime. Capitol citizens were laughing and smiling as they shopped and ate, oblivious of the people they had robbed off power and the privilege to even enjoy life in the Districts. Despite how magical the city looked, Iwaizumi couldn't help but feel guilty that he was able to enjoy something that many people wouldn't never be able to do unless they were reincarnated as a Capitol citizen.

Having had ignored most of what Osamu and Matsun had been telling him during the car ride to the studio, Iwaizumi was met with shock when he stepped out of the car. The moment he stepped out, he was attacked by a barrage of cameramen, all of them yelling at him to smile and wave. Iwaizumi had to bit back the urge to growl at them, his hand slowly moving to cover his face when Oikawa's hand enveloped his and tugged him down the red carpet rolled out for them.

Some of the Tributes still remained on the carpet, although the ones from the nearer Districts had already gone inside. It seemed as though everyone had arrived according to District order, which meant Oikawa and Iwaizumi would probably be the last to get interviewed as well. Iwaizumi's stomach turned at the idea of having to sit in front of an audience of people dying to see them getting killed in the Arena and having to smile for them when he wished they could just die.

"Hey, Iwa-chan. Relax," Oikawa whispered, Iwaizumi nearly jumping as he felt Oikawa's hot breath down his neck, tickling the shell of his ear. Iwaizumi swore the sound of the cameras clicking away increased two-fold as they walked down the carpet, Oikawa all smiles and waves while Iwaizumi just put on a scowl the entire walk. The entire time, Oikawa kept his hand in his, Iwaizumi's mind going back to the time when they were children.

Back then, Iwaizumi had been the one always having to protect Iwaizumi from danger. When they went hunting for beetles in the forest, Oikawa would squeal that beetles were dirty and scary while Iwaizumi waved one in his face to spook him out. Oikawa would then break down into tears while Iwaizumi held onto his hand, slowly tugging him back home before his cries drew the attention of any animals who would like to have two little boys for lunch.

In school, Oikawa had been bullied by some of the boys for being a bit softer than most. Iwaizumi remembered the numerous times they both came home with bruises and cuts all over them, Oikawa sobbing into his back as he piggybacked him home.

"_Iwa-chan, will you always be there for me?" Oikawa would sniff as Iwaizumi groaned._

"_Always."_

Now it seems as though their roles had been reversed, Oikawa being the one protecting him from the world he had dragged himself into. All this time, Iwaizumi had felt so lost and unsure if he had made the right decision but now, being able to spend his last weeks of life with his best friend, he felt it was all worth it.

Once they entered the studio, they were ushered into a room where most of the Tributes were waiting. Outside, the audience was getting pumped as Miya Atsumu walked onto the stage, smiling as he blew kissed to the crowd. Iwaizumi could practically feel the floor vibrating from the cheers coming from outside, his body beginning to sweat when Atsumu grinned.

"Welcome! Welcome to the 74th Hunger Games! I'm Miya Atsumu (of course you will know, I am the most famous and handsome presenter the Capitol has ever seen) and I will be your host for today. Every year, these brave young men and women give their lives for their Districts to win the title of Victor in the Hunger Games. This year, we have quite an interesting mix so without further delay, let us welcome Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou of District One!"

Both boys quickly stood up as their names were called, even scrambling to see who could get to the door first as their escort sighed with resignation before having to shove them through when they got stuck. Iwaizumi wondered how they could have so much energy to waste when they were going to fight in a few days, both of them walking onto the stage with pride as the crowd cheered for them.

While Kageyama was all scowls in his dark blue suit, Hinata was all smiles and cheer dressed in an orange suit as bright as his hair as he waved his hands animatedly about how he wanted to beat Kageyama and be the Victor this year. Atsumu seemed amused at how much the two bickered at each other one the stage, calling each other 'scrub' and 'boke' as he tried to pluck some answers from them.

"You know there can only be one Victor right?" Atsumu asked as both of them yelled, "We will both win then!"

The crowd broke into laughter and cheers as both of them butted heads with each other at having said it at the same time, the announcer quickly ending their interview as their stylist dragged them off the stage by the ears while their escort followed behind. When they entered the room, the stylist got to work in giving their an earful as their escort tried to calm them down.

"Ukai-kun, I think you're a bit too harsh on them," the escort stammered as Ukai sat the Tributes down and gave them a yelling.

"You're too nice to them, Takeda! They need to be taught how to actually follow the rules or they are going to have hell to pay later!" Ukai snapped as he turned to the two Tributes, who didn't seemed sorry at what they had done earlier as a weird muttering began to come out from Takeda who had curled up into a ball in his chair and was beginning to mutter something the equivalent of a curse under his breath.

"They are good boys. They will alright. They are good boys. They will be alright."

Aside from the mad duo from District 1, everyone else was as sane as they could get. The interviews flew by as Iwaizumi tried not to think about it, his mind going back to how his mother would probably be watching this from the District Square with Oikawa's mother back home. Whether they liked it or not, citizens of the Districts were forced to watch anything related to the Hunger Games, even when the Games began and kids were forced to kill each other.

Iwaizumi's gut clenched as he tried not to remember the faces of his brothers on the screen when he was younger, speaking that they will make it out alive together even though they had to go against Ushijima. Deep down, he didn't even know if he could survive the Bloodbath of the Cornucupia and he had to worry about Oikawa as well…

Heat rose from his freezing hand as Oikawa curled his hand into his, sending the warmth he so desperately needed as he saw the Tributes of District 11 walking back into the room when Oikawa whispered into his ear, sending goosbumps up his skin.

"Just follow my lead. I will protect you, Iwa-chan."

Iwaizumi slowly let himself be pulled to his feet and walked to the stage, the cheers and squeals of the viewers beyond roaring over his head as Atsumu spoke into the microphone.

"Well, let's bring it to our two final Tributes from District 12! The hot and stunning boy who could have easily passed as someone from an elite family in the Capitol and his illusive partner, Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime!" 

Iwaizumi squeezed his eyes shut as the cameras and lights flashed around him, nearly making him stumble as he walked forward. The place was massive; there had to be about several thousand viewers in the studio right now, with the Mentors and escorts sitting in the front rows. Matsukawa gave them a thumbs up from his seat as Osamu was giving a glare at his brother, who smiled and waved at him from the stage as a few women squealed, "Oikawa!"

Oikawa blew them a few kisses, some of them gasping for air as they fell back in their seats. Iwaizumi realized that a few men had done the same, rolling his eyes as they sat down on the white coach opposite of Atsumu, who's ears twitched as he eyed them like a full course meal.

"Well, this year we have quite a crop of good looking Tributes, don't you think folks?" Atsumu drawled as the crowd went wild with catcalls and whistles.

"Most of the Tributes seemed to have known each other before the Games but I seem to be sensing something that is much more deep. What are you two to each other? Especially you, Iwaizumi since you volunteered for the Games when Oikawa was made one of the Tributes."

Iwaizumi didn't like the look in Atsumu's eyes as he raked them for information, extending invisible claws as he tried to find something from their past. Iwaizumi did not fancy telling a crowd of Capitol citizens about his harsh childhood in front of so many cameras when Oikawa took the reins of it.

"Iwa-chan and I have been neighbours for most of our lives. We grew up together and did everything together. Since I lost my dad years ago to the Hunger Games and Iwa-chan lost his brothers in the Hunger Games a few years back, we have been stuck together like glue."

"Ah, I remember that year. It was when Ushijima Wakatoshi was crowned Victor. The twins fought very well until the end; I should have recognized the same kind of hairstyle and brutishness of the Iwaizumi siblings," Atsumu purred as Iwaizumi tried to stop himself from curling fist.

"What I am curious about is why you two are holding hands. You seem like a very confident person, Oikawa but your friend here doesn't seem to like the cameras, don't you think?" Atsumu asked as Iwaizumi slowly began to realize that he was still holding onto Oikawa's hand.

"Ah, this? We do that all the time at home. Although he is normally the one to be holding my hand and leading me forward," Oikawa smiled, his smile soft and gentle as his eyes looked over at Iwaizumi.

"You could almost say, we might be closer to one another than best friends would normally would."

Iwaizumi felt his throat run dry as a gasp ran through the crowd, his eyes moving to see Matsun and Osamu nodding their heads as Atsumu asked, "Ohh, am I seeing a love story here?"

Oikawa giggled as he gave a wink at him before putting a finger to his lips, "Well, we will leave you to find out about that in the Arena, shall we?"


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter didn't come out as well as I thought but hope you guys enjoy it.**

The moment they stepped into the car, Iwaizumi had immediately pulled away his sweaty hand from Oikawa's, his face burning at how the crowd had responded to Oikawa telling them that they were potentially lovers. His heart was racing so hard and his mind was spinning that he could barely think straight, the sound of squeals and ahhs filling the air not helping as Atsumu grinned at them. His fox tail swished lazily behind him, his lips curled in a mischievous smile as he said.

"Well well, you two make a really cute couple. Anyways, we're at the end of our show, folks. May the odds be ever in the favour of these two star crossed lovers."

Star crossed lovers.

What the hell as that supposed to mean?

"Hey, Shittykawa. Why did you tell them we're lovers?" Iwaizumi growled as his fingers began to curl into fists. This felt wrong. It felt so wrong.

He was best friends with Oikawa. He did love him to a certain degree but not in a romantic way. He couldn't love Oikawa that way; he had his life to fulfil instead of being tied down to him.

He deserved more than a man like him. He couldn't even look at him in the eye at this point after possibly signing both of their death warrants.

"I told him to say that."

Iwaizumi lifted his head, his hand unclenching ever so slightly as Matsun leaned in the seat across from them, his face shrouded in the darkness as they drove down the streets. Even though it was around 11 at night, everything was still open and people were still bustling about doing their shopping and having fun. All the adrenaline that had been pumping through Iwaizumi's body for the entire night was starting to die away, leaving him drained enough to sleep in the car.

But Matsun's words woke him up as he stared at the man, Osamu sighing in response.

"We thought that you two would make an interesting item. Especially with your already close relationship, it wouldn't be hard to pull off a scandalous one of best friends following each other to their deaths on the arena."

"You're willing to make us play a lie for the amusement of others?"

"We want you to survive this game kid. Capitol citizens like scandals. They like gossip. They like seeing lovers suffer for one another in the Arena. Its entertainment to them and the more you play them into your hands, the higher your chances are of winning the Games. I did it once, and it worked pretty well for me I guessed," Matsun rumbled as he leaned forward, his hands propping his head against his knees as he glowered at them.

"Oikawa was willing to do it so you better play along in it. You don't exactly have the social skills to make yourself sellable to the people and you need everything you could get to make sure you get sponsors. While they are technically the reason why you're going to die, they're also another way for you to survive in the Arena. Play your cards right and you will win. This year has a lot of tricky people to deal with and I hope you two idiots would make it to the end."

Oikawa was silent the entire time, his eyes staring out at the window overlooking the city. As they made a turn to arrive at their destination, he turned to look at Matsun, who's jaw stiffened ever so slightly as Oikawa curled his lips. Iwaizumi had seen that look before whenever they had a tournament or event that involved them having to win it; the look that Oikawa gave that he would never lose.

"I believe in you."

Those words were only spoken to those that Oikawa really trusted; in other words, Iwaizumi. He only reserved these words for a very serious moment, where there was a possibility that he might encounter great danger. And this was one of these moments and for Oikawa to trust someone he had only just met a couple of days ago made Iwaizumi's stomach turn in… jealousy?

…

Iwaizumi's head was still ringing from the day before, the sounds of cheers and laughs filling his mind from the interview plaguing him as he got up from the bed. As he tried to get up, he noticed an arm slung across his waist, pinning him down when he heard a clicking sound filling the air and a snicker.

"Man, you two don't even need to play the role of darling lovers when you're asleep. Those moronic Capitol citizens are going to be buzzing about this, fufu," Matsun smirked as he ran his fingers through his hair before reaching to press the send button on his phone, narrowly managing to avoid getting pummeled in the face by Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi's mouth was open in shock as Matsun revealed his handiwork to him, what appeared to be a social media platform now spiralling out of control as people reacted to the picture of them sleeping.

Iwaizumi had to admit Oikawa looked slightly cute in it.

"What the hell? You didn't say anything about taking pictures of us, you dumbass!" Iwaizumi roared as he ripped Oikawa's arm from his waist and stumbled out of the bed only in his boxers as Matsun snapped yet another picture.

"Come on, you guys are getting a lot of ratings on this. You're now being dubbed the hottest couple in the games starting from now. Man, I don't think even me and Makki got this much attention when we were Tributes," Matsun whistled as Iwaizumi lunged, his hand nearly grabbing the phone when Oikawa stirred in bed. The other boy hadn't bothered changing out of his clothes from the previous night, his dress shirt crumpled as he yawned and stretched himself out. His mousy brown hair was all mused up, making him look almost adorable as he moaned, "Iwa-chan, so loud."

Iwaizumi threw up his hands in frustration, not wanting to argue with him as he stomped into the bathroom to get changed and showered. They had training later in the Training Room anyways and had to 'showcase' their abilities in front of some people later, some of them being possible sponsors that would keep their asses alive and Victors from previous games.

Iwaizumi wondered if Ushijima would be there.

When he stepped back into his room, now showered and feeling a bit more alert and ready to kick some ass, he spotted Oikawa sitting on the bed, not seeming to be bothered at the fact he had been photographed in his sleep from earlier. Iwaizumi always thought Oikawa would be great in front of the camera because of his looks but now he was getting irritated that he was getting dragged into the mix as well.

"Hey, Shittykawa. You don't mind the fact people are advertising us like we're some stupid celebrity couple or something?" Iwaizumi groaned, sitting down on the bed next to him as Oikawa raised his eyebrows, "Why not? I don't see a problem if it gets us through the Games."

"Don't you feel uncomfortable about it, the way people think we are acting around each other?"

"I don't see why not. We've been sleeping together for years, although you got too big to share a bed with since you started to grow, Iwa-chan. You're now like a gorilla. Ouch!" Oikawa yelped as Iwaizumi flicked his forehead.

"Get your ass to breakfast and let's get this over with. I don't want to think what the other Tributes are thinking of us now when we get back down there."

…

Turns out that things have even reached the ears of the Tributes, some of them giving them looks as they stepped from the lift. Iwaizumi tried not to meet the eyes of some of them, avoiding the smirks of the Tributes from Districts 3 and 7, in particular the guys with the mad hairstyles. The Tribute from District 3, Kuroo Iwaizumi believed was grinning at him like a Cheshire cat as Bokuto, the Tribute from District 7 smirked.

"Hey, what did you two get up to last night? You seemed to have a lot of energy to have some fun after the interviews. I was too wiped to even do anything after that!" Bokuto laughed as Iwaizumi went red when his companion clamped a hand on his shoulder, "Bokuto-san, please refrain from making false claims about the others."

"Akaashi! You're no fun!" he whined when the Tributes were finally let into the room for practice, although Iwaizumi spent his time wandering around the room trying to see what he could use for the showcase later. Without him realizing it, his feet carried him to the archery range, his hand automatically moving to grab a bow and a quiver of arrows before stepping onto it.

It was a simulated play, 3D images forming from the sides as moving targets ran towards him. Iwaizumi breathed as he set his eyes on the targets, his fingers moving to grab and notch arrows before letting them fly. Each target was hit square in the chest, the target disintegrating into cubes before another took his place. Iwaizmu barely let out a breath as he continued to shoot, wanting to run away from the looming thought of his death slowly creeping upon him.

He wasn't going to die.

He was going to survive.

He was going to go home with Oikawa.

He was going to…

His hand reached for empty air when he realized he had run out of arrows, the simulation had ended when he ran out of them. As his hand dropped to his side and he finally managed to take a breath, he realized that the room had gone quiet as the rest of the Tributes turned to stare at him. Even Kageyama and Hinata of District 1 were quiet for once, which was very scary since the look in their eyes resembled that of hunters finally locking onto their prey.

He might have just made himself a target for the others.

…

"Don't worry about it. It is always a good idea to actually get under some of the Tributes skin so that they avoid you during the Games," Matsun said as Iwaizumi groaned. The look majority of the Tributes had given him made him feel that he might be the first to go during the Games.

He hoped he could get his hands on a bow and arrows in the Game.

"Come on, Iwa-chan! Lighten up! If you wow the judges during your showcase later, you should be able to get some sponsors," Oikawa grinned, even though his smile was as fake as it could get. His leg was hitting the ground in the same rhythm, his fingers clasped together indicating that he was actually freaking out about it.

They were now waiting for their time to show their skills off to the potential sponsors and Iwaizumi was really hoping Ushijima wasn't there. The last time he had seen him, he had been close to whipping out an arrow and shooting it at his head and he would do so this time, even if it meant if he was killed before the games started.

Yes, Ushijima would be a good distraction by providing him a target to shoot.

"Iwaizumi Hajime. Please make your way into the chamber for your skill assessment," a mechanical voice spoke above the as Iwaizumi got to his feet, trying not to sway as Matsun gave him a pat on the back. Despite the fact that Victors could mingle with the sponsors up there, he and Osamu had chosen to stay behind to give them as much support as they could. Even though Osamu looked like he would rather be eating onigiri than looking at them freak out now.

As Iwaizumi moved to walk, slender fingers grabbed onto his wrist, stopping him as Oikawa moved to wrap his arms around his waist, nearly making Iwaizumi stiffen as he whispered, "I believe in you."

Iwaizumi shook him off as he walked, not wanting to feel the lingering presence of his best friend as the doors opened to let him in. As he stepped into the chamber, he could see a glass chamber very much like the one that was present during their training sessions embedded in the wall. Although for some reason, this one didn't seem to have glass protecting them from the potentially lethal Tributes below.

Various ridiculously coloured dressed people were milling about, some of them picking their way through the food spread out on the table before them. There was enough food to last Iwaizumi and his mother for a good month, his mouth watering at the sight of roasted pig laid out on it. As his mind wondered how delicious the pig would taste, his eyes caught on a tall imposing figure moving through the crowd, dressed in a suit of white and purple.

Ushijima was there.

His eyes then moved to see what was available for him to put on display. Numerous weapons were set on racks, one of them including the bow and arrow. Iwaizumi automatically picked it up, notching his arrow into it before turning his attention to the people above him, who hadn't even bothered paying attention to the Tribute who had entered the room.

Iwaizumi didn't think twice as he let the arrow fly, a whizzing sound filling the air as it flew past Ushijima's face, nearly hitting him in the nose before embedding itself in the wall. There was a shriek as a man dropped his plate, the arrow having missed him by centimetres as all of them finally turned their attention to Iwaizumi.

"Name's Iwaizumi Hajime of District 12, and I hope you enjoyed my skill display today," Iwaizumi mumbled as he dropped the bow and quiver onto the ground, the items clattering onto the cold ground. He didn't bother to turn to see their reaction as he walked out, half expecting to have bullets raining over him for pulling such a stupid stunt when a voice rumbled.

"If you needed to get people's attention by shooting an arrow at their faces, it shows you're too weak to even gain people's attention. Iwaizumi Hajime, you're just as weak as your brothers from the previous Game.

Ushijima was never one to mince his word and Iwaizumi didn't have to turn to know that he was giving him a condescending look, uncaring the way he took down his brothers all those years ago.

He wished he had aimed the arrow at Ushijima's face.

"Oikawa Tooru on the other hand is strong. He knows what to do to get what he needs, never sparing an expense when he is on the court. If he had been born in a better District, he might have a higher chance of becoming a Victor and pairing up with a better Tribute. Instead, he is stuck with you."

_Shut up. Don't you dare talk about Oikawa like you know him._

"Ushiwaka. I don't know if you even feel any remorse for what you did to my brothers but mark my words. I'm going to kill those Tributes from your District without mercy and win the Games with Tooru, whether you like it or not."

Iwaizumi didn't look back as he stomped out of the chamber, not bothering to see if Ushijima looked even the slightest bit surprised at his words. He didn't care what he thought of his words, but he meant it.

He would do anything to keep Oikawa alive in the Games.

Even if it meant if he had to die in the process.


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay managed to write another chapter! This one isn't the longest one but hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Decided to try and write a Given au of KageHina and AtsuHina so if you're a fan of them, go check them out on my Ao3 account under the same name!**

When Oikawa walks into the chamber, despite the number of people either looking at him or not paying much attention, he felt surprisingly calm.

Even as Ushijima Wakatoshi looked down on him from above, his eyes watching his every move, Oikawa felt like he knew his place.

The arrow from Iwaizumi's skill evaluation earlier was still embedded in the wall behind Ushijima, causing a smirk to form on Oikawa's face. Iwaizumi always had a good aim and for him to actually have the guts to do something like that, he was pretty impressed.

"Yahalo! I'm Oikawa Tooru from District 12. Please watch over me," he smiled and waved at the crowd, some of them turning to look at him. a few of them, especially the women, wiggled their eyebrows at him, one of them even licking her lips as she smirked.

"Oho. Been a while since I saw a Tribute this handsome and refined. Unlike the brute that had just walked in and decided to shoot an arrow at us. How uncivilized, considering we are the ones giving him luxuries he could only dream of if he was still stuck in that dump of District 12," she laughed. The woman wore far too much jewellery that she could possibly carry, rows of diamonds gleaming on each of her fingers. She was dressed in a fur coat that seemed to slither around her neck and her face had so much make-up on, she could pass for a very disgusting doll.

She also happened to be one of the Gamemakers for the Games.

"Ah, Lady Glimmer Divine. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. If you would so wish, I could speak to you in private about certain things," Oikawa winked as she laughed.

"Oh, such a naughty boy. But I'm not going to be sleeping around with a rat who is going to die soon. Still, it might be fun to have you to myself. Its such a shame I cannot keep you as a pet," she sighed as Oikawa felt a vein pop in his brain.

How he wanted to skewer her with a knife right about now.

"My Lady. I would prefer if you refrain from doing anything outside of our contract," Ushijima rumbled as he came close to her, her arm wrapping around his waist as she snickered, "Come on, Ushijima. Don't be such a spoilsport. Haven't you heard of threesomes? They've been quite the rage lately."

Oikawa blanched at the thought of going anywhere near Ushijima without wanting to kill him. To think he was low enough to stoop to being an escort and playmate of a Capitol citizen, much less a woman who had designed Arenas that killed his friends. It wasn't unheard of for Victors to be brought into the Capitol as prostitutes or even loaned out to people who bid for them to be by their side for a certain amount of time.

"Ushiwaka-chan. I didn't know you liked to dabble in those things. I always assumed your hands were more built for the… bloody side of life."

"You do not know anything about me, Oikawa."

"Oho, don't I?" Oikawa grinned as he lifted a knife from the table, twirling it in his hand as Ushijima's eyes widened before whipping his hand back to throw the knife at the wooden target at the end of the room. He could see Ushijima's lips part ever so slightly as he grabbed a few more, holding them in between his fingers as he let them fly loose one by one, each knife hitting the centre of the target so hard, the target eventually split into pieces.

Some of the Gamemakers turned their attention to him at long last, eyes wide as Lady Divine clapped her hands in glee.

"Ohh, interesting! A few of the Tributes had used knives in the past but never as throwing knives, mostly for stabbing and the like. You're a pretty interesting contender this year, Oikawa. If you do manage to live, you can also be one of my little pets. There is always room for one more," she smiled, her cat-like eyes scanning Oikawa's face like a delicious meal as Oikawa beamed.

"Well, I'll think about it. Thank you for your graciousness, my Lady."

He did a bow, his mind screaming for him to get out of there when Ushijima rumbled, "You're strong. Its unfortunate you're stuck with the senseless brute, Iwaizumi Hajime. You would have fared so much better if you had been in District 1 with the freak duo or with District 2's Goshiki and Shirabu."

"I have to admit, Iwa-chan can be a little bit pesky when he wishes to be."

"He thinks he can win the Games by winning it with you. Its impossible to have two Victors in each Game. His attempts are futile and going to be his downfall. I suggest you stop pining for him the way the media makes you out to be and come to your senses. You are strong and you can win this," Ushijima's face didn't provide a flicker of emotion and Oikawa couldn't tell whether he was joking about it.

"Well, not like it matters to me, Ushiwaka-chan. Iwa-chan can be a brute, but he is my best friend. And no, I won't leave him in the Arena, even if it gets me killed."

Oikawa reached out to the table to pluck a dagger from it, spinning it lazily in his hand before turning to glare at Ushijima. He could sense the man flinching from his gaze as he smile turned feral and his wrist bent back.

"Don't you ever forget my worthless pride, Ushiwaka. I won't ever abandon Iwa-chan, and I would rather die than become someone like you."

Lady Divine shrieked as the dagger flew at their direction, Ushijima not moving from his spot as the dagger shattered into pieces. A mirage of colours flickered before their eyes as a forcefield came into view, shielding the viewers from the Tribute below as Oikawa smiled.

"Well, at least I tried. Have a nice day," Oikawa beamed before walking out, never forgetting the feeling of rage when Ushijima had told him to abandon Iwaizumi on the field.

If he did manage to make it out alive, he was going to turn Ushijima into an Avox, one way or another.

…

"What in blazes were you two idiots thinking?!" Osamu yelled the moment they stepped back into the apartment. The Avoxes standing to take their things nearly jumped out of their skins as Osamu snarled, throwing his jacket at one of them in the face as Matsun turned to the two of them.

"Good game well played," he grinned, giving them both a thumbs up as Osamu shouted, "Don't you go telling them that it was a smart ass thing to do. I can see Atsumu doing that but heck, unless you want all of us to die, you can continue trying to throw arrows and daggers at people's faces! Holy shit, why did that blinking moron decide to drag me into this shit?"

Osamu ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm himself down, Iwaizumi and Oikawa turning to give each other tiny smiles before he snapped at them to go shower and get ready for the announcement of their results. Since that would be done in about an hour or so, that gave them excuses to hop into the bath and ponder about what would happen.

When they were finally done, Osamu seemed to have managed to calm himself down after eating about two dozen onigiri. Matsun gave them a wave as he munched on the last one, Osamu typing onto his tablet so vigorously that the screen was on the verge of cracking when he realized the two Tributes were there.

"Well, no one has asked for your death warrant yet so you're in the clear. I just hope your results will give me something to work with when trying to get you some sponsors," Osamu moaned as he flicked on the TV to show his twin's face on it. Osamu looked like he regretted turning it on as his brother cracked into a grin, his ears twitching in anticipation as he held the results in his hands.

"And welcome to the news of announcing the results of each Tributes skills! I am Miya Atsumu and once again, I will be your host for tonight. Well, we have quite an interesting mix here, don't you think, Ushijima-san?"

The camera moved to show Ushijima dressed in yet another white tux, his biceps threatening to rip the material as he rumbled, "Indeed. A few of them were very strong."

"Come on, Ushijima-san! Please show a bit more enthusiasm here!"

"I am enthusiastic. The most I have been since the Reapings."

Atsumu didn't seem to want to bother about it anymore as he moved on to the results, his eyes scanning the screen of his tablet as he announced each of the results in turn. As he read out each of the Tribute's names and results, their picture would flicker in the background along with their score, each image staying for less than 10 seconds before moving on to the next. Each Tribute was rated for their skill out of 12 and while it was possible for people to get a solid 12, it wasn't exactly the most common score to get.

Osamu was thumping his leg on the ground, nervous on what they were going to get as they started with the freak duo. The face of a scowling Kageyama appeared next to a large 12, his speciality being in close range combat and sniping. His partner was the next to appear, beaming brightly next to the number 11. Iwaizumi could imagine the two of them squabbling about their scores 11 floors below them now as the next pair came in.

Iwaizumi was a little shocked at how quite a number of them were within the two-digit range. District 2's pair was expected, with both of them earning 10s while the pair from District 7 earned an 11 and 10 respectively. The rest churned out reasonable numbers, the most despairing one being a solid 0 for the small blonde girl from District 11. Her face was pulled into a look of terror on the screen, her face white as the camera zoomed in. Atsumu made a joke about her being the first one to die on the field, Ushijima not saying anything as the results for Iwaizumi and Oikawa came in.

"Heard that there was quite a commotion with these two star crossed lovers. I heard they tried to impale you in the face, am I right, Ushijima-san?"

"Yes, but they didn't succeed."

"Clearly, or you wouldn't be here today. Anyways, here is the score for Oikawa Tooru. With a knack for the knives and accurate skill, he earns a score of… 7."

Matsun gave Oikawa a squeeze on the shoulder, the boy deflating a little bit as he whined about how he should have gotten higher with nearly hitting Ushijima in the face when Atsumu continued, "And to round up the results for tonight, we have Iwaizumi Hajime of District 12 with a score of… oh… interesting. An 11."

"Eh?" Iwaizumi gaped as he saw the number 11 hovering next to his name. There was no way he was capable of getting a score that high anyways, even though he had nearly hit Ushijima in the face.

"That's an interesting turn of events. Why did Iwaizumi get a higher score than Oikawa, Ushijima-san?"

"I don't have any comments on that."

"Ok… well then. Here are the results for this year's Hunger Games skill evaluation! I will see you all for the finale tomorrow at the studios for the final interviews, where we will be interviewing each Tribute alone. Goodnight, my lovelies and let us see each other tomorrow!"

Osamu turned the TV off before he could see his brother give Ushijima a farewell kiss on the cheek, turning instead to look at Iwaizumi and Oikawa as Matsun said, "Well, that was unexpected."

"I thought Oikawa would be the one to get the better results but guess not," Osamu murmured.

Iwaizumi didn't know whether he should be happy or sad. The scores meant nothing since it depended on how well they performed in the Arena anyways. There had been cases of Tributes with very high scores who died within minutes when the Careers had swamped and targeted them right off the bat. This often happened if they weren't allied with anyone, very much like in Iwaizumi's case.

Oikawa reached to hold Iwaizumi's hand, his hand clammy as he turned to gaze at Iwaizumi. His eyes had a ferocity in them that told Iwaizumi had he had worked out the meaning behind his high score and that it wasn't good news, although Iwaizumi had pretty much worked it out.

Suddenly, their luxurious apartment felt like a box closing in on him, squeezing out the air in his lungs as his time slowly ran out.

"Iwa-chan, you do realize what this means right?"

High scores mean labelling the Tribute as more lethal.

Being more lethal means they would be targeted more than the other Tributes whilst in the Arena.

The Gamemakers had just painted a large target on Iwaizumi's back, and he didn't know if that just narrowed down his chances of surviving even more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry I haven't been active in a while. Been focusing on updating more on my AO3 account. Enjoy!**

Today was the final day before they get sent into the Arena. Iwaizumi was surprised he even managed to sleep throughout the night, only to be woken up by Oikawa prodding him in the cheek and nearly getting a fist slammed into his face when Iwaizumi groaned about going back to sleep.

After both of them received their scores and the fact that Iwaizumi may very well be a target in the Arena now, Matsukawa had taken to himself to train the two of them to make sure both have an equal fighting chance in the Arena. Even though Iwaizumi had half begged Matsukawa to train just Oikawa since he felt his friend needed as much help as he could get, Matsukawa dragged them to the private training rooms and got to drilling them various survival skills and the dos and don't's in the arena. Even Osamu had tagged along, sitting on the bench against the wall munching on onigiri as he conversed with various people on the phone.

People who might very well be sponsors.

"Listen. You two have the basic skills in fighting. If possible, don't engage in hand to hand combat or close-range combat. This year's District 1 and 2's tributes are good at that and you want to avoid them as much as you can. District 3 are techies so you don't have to worry too much about them. District 7's Tributes might be a pain in the ass, especially Akaashi Keiji."

"Not Bokuto Koutarou?" Iwaizumi mused as Matsukawa sighed, "It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for. That guy clings to Bokuto a lot and I wouldn't have a doubt in my mind that he would do anything to protect him in the Arena as well. They may have or may not have formed an alliance with District 3. The reports showed them being thick together during training so you might want to watch out."

Iwaizumi almost feels sorry for the other Tributes to not be considered threatening enough to be watched out for in the Arena by Matsukawa but the fewer lethal Tributes, the better. He didn't want to have blood staining his hands if he could help it, even if it meant him coming out alive.

After a couple of hand to hand combat drills with Matsukawa and working on his shooting with him, the boys finished up for the day and went back to the apartment for lunch. As usual, the spread on the table was heavy enough to feed at least ten familiar in District 12 and Iwaizumi nearly snuck some food into his pocket out of habit to give to his mother, something he developed as a kid since they were barely earning enough to support themselves in the Seam.

"Well, you two sure have gained quite a rep out there. Might have to do something to really garner their attention tonight," Tendou grinned as he stabbed a fish in the eye, ripping its eyeball from its socket and popping it into his mouth. The man had made himself a guest in the apartment and while he could be a bit too loud, Iwaizumi appreciated his presence since he helped them with their social etiquette and how to act on the stage; apparently, Tendou used to be an entertainer and would have gone on to take Atsumu's position as the host of the games if he wasn't so invested in designing outfits for Tributes.

Tonight would be their final night before they go in the Arena and Iwaizumi could almost see the clock counting down to his impending death. Oikawa seemed a bit chilled about it, instead of going through with Tendou on what they ought to do on the stage that night. Tonight would be the final interview, which would be done on each Tribute individually and Iwaizumi didn't look forward to all the cameras.

"Neh, Iwa-chan, if you scrounge up your face like that, you're going to get more wrinkles than an old man," Oikawa whispered into his ear, his fist automatically moving to connect with his jaw as the other boy fell to the floor. Tendou screeched at how he might have possibly made his beautiful face a mess while Matsukawa muttered something about teenage boys under his breath.

"If you two have so much energy pissing each other off, you better use your last chance to impress the audience and do your shit. I've tried everything in my power to convince my brother to actually give you the limelight of the show so you better make the most out of it," Osamu hissed from the rim of his cup before turning to his tablet. The man had been busy with work the entire day and his temper was on the rise. Even Matsukawa didn't dare to say anything to the man as Osamu got up and walked to the living room to do his work in peace.

The rest of the day flew by with Matsukawa and Tendou going through the night's events with them before getting them dressed for it. Both of them wore the same matching suits as before, Oikawa in white and Iwaizumi in black. Tendou fake cries at how beautiful they looked as he finished up their makeup before shoving them to the lift. Iwaizumi's stomach was doing flip flops as they walked down, moving to stand with the other Tributes who were lined up at the backstage.

While the Carers were busy bickering among themselves, especially Kageyama and Hinata who had to be pulled apart by an exasperated Ukai Keishin, most of them were silent. Some of the Tributes clearly had marks under their eyes from the lack of sleep, and some of them looked visibly thinner, as though they haven't eaten since they arrived or had thrown up anything that they tried to put into their bodies.

Guess the odds weren't in everyone's favour.

One by one, the Tributes were called out and Iwaizumi found himself nervously tapping his foot to calm himself down. The cheers outside didn't make him feel any better as sweat welled up on his palms, his hands trying to do something other than fidget. Tendou and Matsukawa had left to sit in the audience, Osamu lurking around somewhere which left Iwaizumi without anyone to talk to.

"Iwa-chan, you look too nervous," Oikawa spoke up as Iwaizumi's head snapped up, realising that it was just the two of them left. The clock struck nine on the wall next to them as Oikawa smiled, licking his lips as he moved to kiss Iwaizumi on the cheek. As he bent his head to ghost his cheek, Iwaizumi tried not to shiver as Oikawa gave him a peck before trailing kissed to his neck before promptly giving him a hard bite that made him yelp.

"What the hell?!" Iwaizumi yelled as Oikawa stepped back, grinning just as he was called to the stage.

"Thank me later," he smiled as he walked off, Iwaizumi gripping the steadily growing red spot on his neck as he turned to look at a mirror placed on a nearby wall.

Oh shit, why did Oikawa have to give him a hickey of all times?

Oikawa's laugh echoed across the backstage as Iwaizumi looked to see Oikawa smiling away at the audience, his eyes ravishing each member of the audience as they squealed and swoon at his presence. Oikawa even had the nerves to wink and blow kisses at some of them as Atsumu spoke, the man seeming a little unnerved that the man was getting more attention than he was as he cleared his throat.

"So, what are you doing to do about the Games? As much as you love your beloved Iwa-chan, you know there can only be one winner."

A hush fell across the audience as Oikawa smiled sadly, his fingers clasped on his lap. Iwaizumi could almost see a tear trickling from his eye as he looked up to the audience.

"If the time comes that I have to sacrifice myself to let Iwa-chan win, I will. Hajime is my world, and I will do everything to protect him," Oikawa whispered as the audience broke into sobs, some people screaming that they loved him as Oikawa exited the stage. As Atsumu tried to calm the crowd down, Iwaizumi walked towards the stairs as Oikawa passed by, reaching to give him a pat on the shoulder as he said, "Good luck."

The moment Iwaizumi stepped onto the stage, the crowd went wild when they saw the hickey growing on his neck. Iwaizumi did his best not to blush as Atsumu purred, his ears pricking up as Iwaizumi sat on the chair, his knees shaking as he tried not to look at the audience.

"Oya? What do we have here?" Atsumu purred as Iwaizumi blushed red.

"Its not…"

"Oh really know a hickey when I see one, and its definitely a hickey," Atsumu mused as the crowd laughed, although there were sniffles and whispers of "Poor things. They're so much in love".

"So, on to things. Tomorrow is the Games. You're going to have to fight to the death. Are you prepared to kill Oikawa, or are you going to sacrifice yourself for him?" Atsumu asked, not hiding the expression of amusement on his face when Iwaizumi said, "I will do everything to make sure we both come out alive. I don't care if we need a miracle, but I will definitely make sure he comes out alive. Even if I do not make it out, if Oikawa does, I will be contented."

Claps and cheers rose from the audience as Atsumu raised Iwaizumi's hand into the air, saying his name as Iwaizumi's mind swam. His eyes no longer focused on the crowd, nor the sound of Oikawa calling his name as he walked back to him, only the feeling of him wrapping him in his arms as he was whisked away.

…

The hell he could go to bed.

With the Games the next day and Oikawa's side of the bed cold and empty, Iwaizumi found himself tossing and turning before finally growling in defeat and walking out, his feet slapping against the cold marble floor. As he shivered from having worn just a sleeveless shirt and a pair of silk pants, he turned into the living room to see Oikawa seated on the ledge, staring at the stars shining above their heads as the sounds of people partying filled the night air.

"Hey, Iwa-chan," Oikawa whispered as Iwaizumi moved to sit next to him. Oikawa scooted to the side, giving room for Iwaizumi to sit and stare at the few skies that were visible in the night sky. With the amount of pollution in the capital, it was a miracle that they could even see it.

"Whats going on down there?" Iwaizumi whispered as Oikawa said, "They're partying for tomorrow. The Games is the biggest event of the year for them so they're going all out."

"Sick bastards. Don't they know they're sending a bunch of kids to their deaths?" Iwaizumi whispered as Oikawa leaned against him. Iwaizumi automatically moved to card his fingers through Oikawa's hair, feeling the soft brown locks as he sighed. If he leaned in a bit more closely, he could catch a whiff of the coconut shampoo Oikawa had come to love using ever since arriving in the Capitol.

"Iwa-chan, if one of us doesn't make it tomorrow…"

"Don't be stupid. We will survive."

"Only one of us can make it out."

"Then we will break the rules. We can run away from the Arena, away from the Capitol and hide somewhere until everything is over."

"Oh, Iwa-chan," Oikawa whispered as his hand moved to cup Iwaizumi's cheek. Iwaizumi didn't move as Oikawa turned to face him, sniffling as his eyes watered. He slowly buried his face into Iwaizumi's chest, his sniffles turning into sobs as Iwaizumi's arms wrapped around him, trying to comfort the boy as he whispered, "I'm so scared, Iwa-chan. I don't want to die. I don't want to kill anyone."

Oikawa hiccupped as Iwaizumi kissed him on the head, his nose finally breathing in the smell of coconut as his arms wrapped around Oikawa even more tightly.

"I will protect you Tooru. I promise."


	9. Chapter 9

Iwaizumi was surprised he and Oikawa managed to chomp down quite a bit of food that morning and even take a decent shower before getting dressed. The atmosphere around the table was already gloomy and they didn't want to make what could potentially be their last meal even more awkward.

In an hour, they will be taken by plane to the newest Arena and have trackers implanted into their skin. Every move they make would determine if they lived or died, either by the hands of other Tributes or by the forces of nature that the Gamemakers came up with. As Iwaizumi shovelled chicken into his stomach, he felt himself want to throw the food back up, only to force more down to make sure he had enough fuel to keep going until his next meal.

"Are you two ready?" Matsukawa asked as they nodded, thanking for the meal before rising to go to the door. Osamu lead the way to the lobby of the apartments, leading them into the car that took them to the outskirts of the city.

"Remember, do not go to the Cornocupia. As tempting as it sounds, going there is a death trap. Sure, there are weapons and food but the Carers will get there first and swipe most of it. They won't hesitate to kill any Tributes standing in their way once they got their hands on weapons. It happens every year, people getting killed before they can get their hands on something. You know how to make a bow, Iwaizumi and you know how to work with knives, Oikawa. Make sure you get to safety in whatever Arena you're thrown into this year. Hide out until its safe and get a grip on your surroundings. Find water, make sure you stick close by to a water source. We will do our best from our end to support you from the outside," Matsukawa said as he placed his hands on the Tribute's shaking knees.

"I believe in your two, alright? You are some of the strongest Tributes I have come across from our District. Play your cards right and you can go home," he said as the car jerked to a stop, Osamu sighing as he moved to open the door.

"Exactly what Matsun said. Keep yourselves alive and we will felt you from our end," Osamu said as Oikawa smiled, "Thanks, Osa-chan."

"Osa-chan?" Osamu growled as Matsukawa placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You go with Oikawa, Osamu. I will deal with Iwaizumi," he said, steering the two boys away from each other when Oikawa turned to look at Iwaizumi.

"I will see you in the Arena, Iwa-chan," he smiled, Osamu tugging his hand towards the building as Matsukawa and Iwaizumi went a separate way. For some reason, they always split the Tributes up before the Games, making sure each District was separated from each other.

Once they reach the end of the hallway, Matsukawa turned to give Iwaizumi a bone crushing hug. Iwaizumi couldn't help but hold onto the man who had taught them what he knew that could keep them alive, Matsukawa's breath hitching as he whispered into him.

"I already lost my best friend to the Games. Don't you dare die on me too. We're going to get old together, drink till we drop and do all kinds of shit, you hear me?" Matsukawa growled as Iwaizumi nodded, "We will."

"Atta boy," Matsukawa grinned as he stepped back, slapping him on the back as Peacekeepers came to escort him to the plane. Matsukawa stood and watched as Iwaizumi stepped onto the plane, the plane's blades whipping his hair as Iwaizumi turned to look at his mentor one last time before the doors closed in on them. When he looked at the older man, he could faintly see tears in his eyes before being shut out, Iwaizumi collapsing into a seat across the small orange haired Tribute from District 1.

"Ah, you're Iwaizumi-san aren't you? Nice to meet you! I'm Hinata Shouyou!" he grinned as he put out a hand to him. Iwaizumi slowly took it, not wanting to offend him or anything as Hinata grinned, "Don't take anything personally. Me and Kageyama are just trying to survive this too so if we do kill you, see you in heaven!"

Iwaizumi felt his blood run cold as the girl next to Hinata burst into sobs, begging the Peacekeepers to let her go home as the silver haired Tribute next to her tried to comfort her. Hinata didn't seem to be bothered by what he said at all, instead leaning in his seat and humming a tune under his breath when some scientists came over and began to inject trackers into their arms. Iwaizumi flinched as the beeping sound of the tracker being activated filled his ears, the slow rumbling of the plane taking off nearly making his stomach turn as they took off into the air.

After successfully not throwing up from the flight and avoiding Hinata's stares throughout the flight, Iwaizumi managed to step off the ground to be escorted to a small room. No one was inside save for a couple of items of clothing he had to wear. He smiled as he tugged on the jacket onto him, glad that he had something comfortable to wear at least when the sound of the countdown began above his head.

"30 seconds to launch."

Weirdly, Iwaizumi didn't feel any panic. Instead, he felt like he needed to rise to this challenge as he walked towards the lone tube situated in the room, the doors open to let him enter as he stepped into it. As soon as he stepped in, the doors whizzed shut behind him, trapping him inside before the mechanical voice spoke once more.

"10 seconds remaining."

Slowly, the pad rose into the air, carrying Iwaizumi with him as the hatch opened to let in sunlight. Iwaizumi had to squint as the sun hit his eyes, blinding him for a moment when the jerking beneath his feet finally came to a stop. As he opened his eyes, he nearly felt his heart drop as he saw the lush forest surrounding them followed by the sound of water lapping around them. Iwaizumi looked down to see that they were surrounded by a huge volume of water, the Cornucopia in front of their eyes in the centre of the water with a single metal pathway for the Tributes to run on leading to it. Above the metal structure was a clock, counting down to the minute the Games begin.

Now, it read 20 seconds.

Iwaizumi turned to see the other Tributes already standing on their pedestals. All of them were focused on the clock, albeit in different stages of panic and calm. The freak duo from District 1 seemed to be bouncing on their toes, eying each other from their spots. District 2 eyed the weapons hungrily, one of them literally licking his lips as the countdown hit 10.

9.

8.

7.

Iwaizumi turned to see Oikawa around three pedestals away from him, his lean frame still as he turned to look at Iwaizumi. Iwazumi jerked his head to the Cornucopia as Oikawa shook his head, mouthing the word 'Run' as Iwaizumi sighed.

6.

5.

Was this the last time he would see him alive again?

4.

3.

They had to.

2.

"Iwa-chan, let's make it alive together."

1.

"Happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favour."

BOOM!

…

Osamu dropped Oikawa off without much of a goodbye, although he did appreciate the awkward hug Osamu gave him before going onto the plane. Oikawa had always wanted to be in one of those, flying through the clouds and exploring new places and shooting to the stars.

If he had it his way, he wanted to be an astronomer and study the galaxies.

The moment he stepped onto the plane, he was met with deep blue eyes that glared at him as he sat across him. Kageyama didn't stop looking at him as Oikawa tried to ignore his gaze, his blue eyes seeming to pierce into his soul as Oikawa growled.

"Hey, Tobio-chan, you got a problem with me?"

Kageyama seemed taken aback for the nickname as Kuroo tried not to snort two seats down, earning a glare from the boy as Oikawa sighed, "If you want to settle things in a civilised manner, please do it now. I don't want to be in the Arena with my back on the ground and you with a knife against my throat to get an answer."

Kageyama shuffled his feet as he bit his lip, trying to find the words as Oikawa tapped his foot. There was a soft whirr as the plane took off into the air, the feeling of being suspended in midair sending chills down Oikawa's spine as Kageyama blurted, "I think you should create an alliance with me and Hinata!"

"Excuse me?"

"Ushijima-san you were strong and you could ensure our survival during the Games. Its always a good idea to band up together with strong Tributes before the Games so we can help each other."

"I never took you as someone who is willing to work with others, Tobio-chan."

Kageyama sputtered as Oikawa eyed him carefully, taking in the lanky boy and the nervous tapping he was doing with his foot. Despite him being one of the top candidates for winning the Games, Kageyama Tobio was very much afraid.

"Oikawa-san, aren't you scared to die?"

"Of course I am. Everyone is. That doesn't mean I want to take any lives if necessary."

"No one will be able to get out of this without blood on their hands."

"And me want to help you kill them?" Oikawa snarled as Kageyama shot daggers at him, "Ushijima-san mentioned you had pride and would never join us. I thought I might see some reason in you, but apparently not."

"_Ah, so it was Ushijima who coaxed him into it, that bastard," _Oikawa mused as he grinned, Kageyama seeming to stiffen in his seat as Oikawa's sneered, "If you ever make it out of the Games alive Tobio-chan, tell Ushiwaka-chan to never forget my worthless pride. That is the only thing going for me now, and I will make sure to use it to win the Games."

Kageyama went silent afterwards, Oikawa leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. He felt a little triumphant about his little speech, although that meant that he had just made himself a target for Kageyama and his partner.

Oh well. He and Iwaizumi would sort it out later.

Once they were on the ground and escorted to separate rooms, Oikawa grabbed the gear provided for him and stepped into the chute leading to the Arena. When he strained his ears, he could almost hear water as he stepped into it, the doors sliding shut behind him as it rose up into the sunshine. Cool air hit his face as he took in the fresh air, salt hitting his nose as the sound of lapping waves filled his ears.

They were standing on pedestals raised on top of a huge lake. Water surged under them and as Oikawa craned his neck into it, he thought he might have actually seen some sharks in there. He had never seen one of course, although Iwaizumi used to tell him off tales of creatures lurking in the deep that used to kill humans very easily.

He looked around for his friend, spotting him standing three pedestals away from him. They made eye contact. Iwaizumi jerking his head towards the Cornucopia as Oikawa sighed at how stupid he was. The weapons did look enticing though; rows of weapons were lined up along the inside of the Cornucopia with stacks of supplies stacked up on top of each other.

It was a death trap.

The countdown filled their ears as a man spoke the numbers. Oikawa could feel goosebumps rising on his skin as the time ticked closer, the jacket doing little to keep him warm as he looked ahead.

10.

9.

8.

7.

They had to make it out.

6.

5.

4.

They will make it out.

3.

2.

1.

Together.

BOOM!

**Tributes of the 74****th**** Hunger Games**

District 1 : Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou

District 2 : Shirabu Kenjirou, Goshiki Tsutomu

District 3: Kuroo Tetsurou, Kenma Kozume

District 4 : Haiba Lev, Yaku Morisuke

District 5 : Arakawa Shouta, Sakura Nanami

District 6: Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi

District 7 : Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji

District 8 : Sakamichi Kunihirou, Saitama Ryuma

District 9 : Mei Kimura, Kirishima Asuna

District 10 : Tanaka Ryunosuke, Shimizu Kiyoko

District 11: Tsukishima Kei, Hitoka Yachi

District 12 : Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime

Alive : 24

Dead : 0


	10. Chapter 10

The second the canon went off, Iwaizumi took off from the pedestal and ran towards the direction of the forest. Already he could begin to hear the blood curling screams of Tributes dying, Iwaizumi whipping his head to see one of them meeting his demise as he slipped on the slippery track and fell into the water, his screams filling the air as sharks surrounded him and ripped him to shreds. His partner screamed as she huddled in fear on her pedestal, unable to move until an arrow was embedded in her chest, her body hurling into the water as shark surrounded to eat her up.

The bloodbath had begun in earnest, and it hadn't been a minute since the Games began.

Iwaizumi wanted to cover his ears as the battle ragged around him, his legs carrying him deeper into the forest as he felt an arrow whizz past him. He nearly toppled to the ground as he whipped around to see Shirabu carrying a crossbow, his face scrunched in a scowl as he took aim once more. Iwaizumi felt himself collide with someone, their mouth open in apology when they suddenly fell on top of him, both of them collapsing on the ground as Iwaizumi stopped himself from screaming.

"Dammit, you're hard to get," Shirabu growled as he took aim one more time. Iwaizumi unwillingly used the dead Tribute as a shield, the arrow hitting their body with a sickening thud when Iwaizumu realised they had left a fallen backpack on the ground. Quickly, he managed to grab it before dashing into the woods, foliage giving him cover as he ran. His heart was pounding as he continued to run, not stopping to let the screams wash over him.

He didn't look around to see if Oikawa was even following him.

Both of them had made a pact to run their separate ways so they wouldn't hold each other down in case the other got caught up, promising to meet partway during the Games. Iwaizumi had no idea how far Oikawa had made it now, his mind trained on making sure he himself was alive when he felt his foot slip and his body began tumbling through fallen leaves before his back slammed into a tree.

Iwaizumi bit back a scream as pain shot through his body, his head spinning as he painfully got to his feet, groping around until he finally felt safe enough at where he was. He collapsed on a fallen tree, his knees giving way as the adrenaline left his body, leaving him exhausted. His hand went to his chest, clutching it as he slowly took deep breathes, trying to calm himself down before turning to look at his prize.

The bag was a simple camouflage bag, a dagger stuck into it from an attempted attack. Iwaizumi carefully tucked it into his pocket as he unzipped the bag, rummaging through its contents as a small smile quirked on his lips.

Inside, there was some rope, matches, a container that had water in it and some rations. He even had a Swiss army knife inside, his prayers going to the gods above as he stowed his goods safely into the bag when he heard the cannon going off.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

The canon continued going off, finally stopping after the eight boom. Iwaizumi felt his heart sink as he thought more Tributes had survived the slaughter, meaning he would have to deal with more of them later on.

The sun was still high in the sky, Iwaizumi grunting as he got to his feet and began the trek to search for shelter. The surroundings reminded him of the forests he and Oikawa used to play in as children and later hunted in together. The smell of wet leaves and bark sent pleasant chills through his body, his mine feeling slightly relieved that the Games were in a familiar environment.

Over the course of the day, Iwaizumi mapped out the area he was in, making booby traps to catch some animals for food. Despite not having any arrows to hunt big game, Iwaizumi still had some knife skills to skewer some lizards, allowing him to have a decent meal in the woods for his first night. As he rubbed his hands over the small flame, trying to keep it as inconspicuous as possible from being found from any other Tributes. Once he was done with his meal, he kicked out the flames, moving to scout the area once more.

From what he gathered, he was around a good two kilometres away. He had found a river not too far off from where he was now, giving him a clean source of water. His main concern was if he would be able to keep out of any Tributes sight for the time being. His idea was to wait out for most of the Games without having to kill anyone but knowing the Gamemakers, they would make things hell for them at one point. The audience never liked Games that involved waiting around.

After walking around for an hour and not bumping into any Tributes, Iwaizumi found himself a small little cave to hide in. The inside of it was nice and dry, allowing him to stay warm for a little bit as he set up camp. Outside, the sun was beginning to set, although Iwaizumi had no idea if that much time had really passed. The weather and time during the Hunger Games changed according to whatever the Gamemakers fancied, meaning it could be day for more than 24 hours and suddenly become night for the next four days. There had been one particular Game where dark had taken over for five days, leaving the Tributes freezing to death most of the time before getting picked off one by one.

As Iwaizumi tried to settle in, he heard the distant sound of a scream as he whipped his head around to the source. His hand reached for his knife, his body already moving to the mouth of the cave when he heard two booms going off one after another, signalling the end of two more Tributes.

10 dead. Another 14 to go.

…

Sugawara Koushi never thought he would be picked for the Hunger Games. When his name had been drawn from the box, he could feel his mind shutting off as it tried to deny that he had been chosen.

Out of the six years, he had to be Reaped, why did it have to be the year that would be his last?

He was going to have a safe job, settle down on his own, enjoy spending the rest of his days with Daichi and Asahi without having to worry about dying ever again and yet… fate had to be so cruel to him.

The crowd parted for him to be taken away, Peacekeepers sweeping in to grab him by his thin arms and dragging him forward. He didn't even have the energy to walk, his knees buckling the moment the seized him. His shoes scraped the ground, dust trailing in his wake as the Escort, a bespectacled man with all the features of a pig named Makoto Shimada smiled, welcoming him to the stage. Suga was all but dropped off into his arms, Makoto steadying him before putting him in front of the microphone.

This couldn't be real. This couldn't be real.

"And what is your name?"

"Suga… "

"SUGAAA!" a voice screamed as everyone turned to the source. Sugawara looked up in horror as his best friend stepped out, his hand raised in the air as he yelled, "I volunteer to be the next Tribute alongside Suga!"

"Oh! We have a volunteer! How amazing!" Shimada smiled as Daichi walked up to the stage, his stride confident as he gave Sugawara a smile.

_You idiot? What have you done?_

"And now, let's give out our applause to…"

"Sawamura Daichi."

"Sawamura Daichi and Suga?"

"Sugawara Koushi."

"Let's give a hand to this year's brave Tributes of District 6, Sugawara Koushi and Sawamura Daichi!"

The next few days were a blur. The first few were spent with Suga crying into Daichi's arms, berating him for being an idiot for volunteering when he could have escaped being Reaped. Asahi had cried as he hugged them goodbye for what may be the last time before being dragged away by the Peacekeepers, shouting at them to win the Games and come home. While Shimada had been frankly nice with them, they didn't have a Mentor to guide them since the last one died by suicide after being unable to cope with the death of his lover when he refused to become a prostitute for the Capitol.

So Sugawara and Daichi were left alone, unsure of what to do the entire time. They were paraded around the Capitol like birds in cages, unable to take flight only for them to be put down. They were made to dress in stupid clothes that were worth more than anyone in their District could ever afford in years and to please the crowd that would spell out their doom.

The only reason Sugawara hadn't gone insane was because of Daichi.

"Suga… shhhh. It's going to be ok," Daichi whispered into his hair as Sugawara sobbed into his chest, once again having woken up from a nightmare where he watched Daichi die before his eyes. But this time, he would be watching from the safety of his home District, Daichi having volunteered in his place and fighting in his name.

"Daichi. I don't want you to die."

"I won't."

"How are we going to win? We haven't produced a Victor in decades! We don't have anything!"

"We do… we have each other. Suga… please, look at me. Koushi," Daichi whispered as he tilted Sugawara's face to gently kiss away the tears. Sugawara sniffled as he leaned back into his chest, listening to the continuous heartbeat of his best friend before it stopped for good.

By some miracle, they didn't get killed by the bloodbath and managed to get away into the woods before bumping into Tsukishima and Yachi. While Tsukihima had managed to procure some weapons, Yachi was in no state to even go anywhere, her mind nearly torn after seeing people being killed before her eyes. after some negotiations, the four of them had joined up with each other, Tsukishima and Daichi taking the lead of the group while Sugawara stayed with Yachi as he tried to soothe her.

The small girl was frightened beyond belief. Tsukishima explained that she had always been terrified of many things and being thrown into the Games had been one of the many triggers to an even worst anxiety. Whilst their Mentor had tried to help her with medicine, without them when they're in the Arena, Yachi's mind would fall apart in the next few hours.

"Hey, Yachi. Everything is going to be ok," Sugawara whispered as he walked beside her, holding onto her hand as Yachi mumbled to herself. She had been doing that ever since the bloodbath, talking to someone from her past that Tsukishima identified as her lover and his best friend.

"Yachi was supposed to marry him after the Reaping. Before that, she got chosen and was taken away. Yamaguchi had been to frightened to volunteer for her, he nearly passed out during the Reaping so I did what I could do; to make sure at least she made it out alive in the Games. Now, I don't even know if she would even be sane by the end of it," Tsukishima whispered as he clutched the spear in his hand.

The four of them were trekking through the woods, night already beginning to fall as Daichi suggested that they find shelter. The shadows in the woods were beginning to grow, giving Sugawara the chills as he heard the sound of rushing water in the distance.

"Hey, isn't that…" Sugawara whispered as Yachi muttered something under her breath before breaking away.

"Yamaguchi… I think he's there! He's always by the river waiting for me!" Yachi smiled as she dashed into the direction of the river, her pigtails bouncing as Tsukishima hissed for her to come back.

"Shit. People would be hiding around the area! She's going to get killed!" he snarled as he ran after her, Daichi grabbing Sugawara's hand to pull him along when they heard a bloodcurling scream. Their pace quickened as they burst through the trees to see Tsukishima holding onto Yachi, an arrow stuck in his back as he held onto her.

"Yachi… run…" he whispered as Yachi shook her head, "No. No. No. No."

"Please," Tsukishima begged as he retched blood before collapsing on top of her, Sugawara diving to grab onto Yachi when an arrow shot through the air. Sugawara felt his heart stop for a minute when the arrow landed into something, Sugawara's eyes widening with terror as Daichi stood between him and the arrow, a smile on his face as he whispered, "Live."

"DAICHI!" Sugawara screamed as two cannon went off together. Yachi screamed as she clutched her ears, rocking on her feet as someone clicked their tongue.

"Dammit, can she shut up? She's hurting my ears," Shirabu muttered as he walked towards them, plucking out the arrows from the bodies as he wiped the blood off their clothes. Sugawara was shaking as he held onto Yachi, his body frozen as Shirabu took aim at his face, hand on the trigger as he sneered, "Goodbye."

Before he could shoot, a dagger hit into his right hand, sending him screaming as he toppled to the ground. He clutched his wound, howling and cursing, blood pooling around him as Oikawa ran out of the forest, grabbing both Tributes by their arms as he hissed, "If you want to live, come with me, Mr Refreshing-kun."


	11. Chapter 11

The moment Oikawa reached the edge of the forest, he felt something whizz past his head, digging into the wood of the tree trunk behind him as he steeled himself. He thought his heart would have stopped there and then as a bald Tribute edged towards him, armed with knives. Although his hands were shaking as he tried to take aim at Oikawa, who put his hands up in surrender.

"Come on, lets just talk this out like civilised people," Oikawa started as the guy snarled, "Hell we can do that. We lost that right once we entered the Arena. Only one makes it out, and I'm going to make sure its Kiyoko-san."

"Ah, the beauty from your District? Are you sure you shouldn't be taking care of yourself?"

The guy, his name now coming to Oikawa's mind as Tanaka Ryunosuke of District 10. He hadn't had much of a presence in any of the training sessions or interviews they had, most of the time just trying not to stare at Kiyoko as she did the talking.

What a bad time to be stuck in a death game with your crush.

"Sorry, baldie. But I'm going to have to go. Not going to get killed so early in the game. Iwa-chan would murder me," Oikawa said, his hand itching to grab onto the knife stuck into the tree trunk as Tanaka yelled, "Hell I'm going to let you win! I'm going to make sure Kiyoko wins this, even if I have to skin your pretty-boy face!"

Tanaka lunged at him, Oikawa side-stepping as the guy barrelled into a nearby tree. Oikawa lunged for the knife stuck in the tree, yanking it out just as Tanaka came charging at him once more, knife in hand as Oikawa let the knife fly to stick it into his throat. Tanaka gurgled as blood spewed from his wound before collapsing in a heap, his body twitching before he finally died from the wound.

Oikawa didn't even feel fazed as he ransacked Tanaka's body of any weapons and supplies, swinging the backpack the other Tribute had on his shoulder over his own before taking off into the woods. He didn't look back as the sounds of people getting murdered filled the Arena, his legs carrying him through foliage and fallen leaves before finally deciding he was deep enough that he would be safe for the time being.

He got to work opening the backpack and checking to see if there were any useful supplies. Aside from the knives he had stolen from Tanaka, he had some rations, matches and even a blanket to use for the night. There was a compass inside as well, although that wouldn't do him much good since he didn't know which direction was which at this point. Once he finished checking through his supplies, he lifted his hands to see that they were crusted with dried blood, when it hit Oikawa hard in the gut that he had killed an innocent Tribute.

Oikawa doubled over as he retched, whatever food he had put into his stomach being dumped onto the forest ground as he tried to get the image of Tanaka out of his mind. The boy had been scared out of his wits and was just trying to survive, but Oikawa had killed him first. That didn't take away the guilt that he was now a killer and would only have to kill more as the Games go on.

Oikawa slowly got to his feet, his feet carrying him aimlessly for a good hour before he finally came to a river. The river had a very strong current as it raged through the forest, water lapping onto the sides of the river to splash onto the rocks. There was a flat area of rock that would have made a very obvious trap for Tributes to get shot down in the open. The sound of rushing water reminded him of the few times he and Iwaizumi had snuck off past the fence to the forest beyond, going skinny dipping in the river during the summer. Oikawa hadn't been a fan of the water ever since he nearly drowned in the strong current at one point, and he had no intention of taking a dip in the water unless he needed to fill his water bottle.

That was when he heard a scream and a canon going off not long after, his eyes scanning the area before landing on a group of four Tributes huddling in a group, one of them already dead from an arrow lodged in his back. A small girl was gripping onto him, begging for him to wake up as a silver-haired Tribute screamed at her to run for it while his own body betrayed him by remaining rooted on the spot. His partner threw himself in front of him just as another arrow was launched, digging into the other Tributes back before he collapsed.

Damn it, why weren't they running?

His hand flew to the knife stuck in his pocket, his hand gripping the hilt as the Tribute from District 2, Shirabu is he was right, walked out of the forest, crossbow in hand as he shot another arrow into the second Tribute, this time causing a canon to go off in a distance as his partner collapsed in fear. He could see the silver-haired boy's eyes tearing up as his body shook, too shocked to move from his spot as the girl next to him sobbed.

Shirabu was merciless and Oikawa knew it. He must have taken down at least half of the Tributes that went down in the bloodbath and Oikawa really hoped he wouldn't have to go anywhere near him if he could help it.

"Goodbye," Shirabu smirked as he aimed his crossbow at the duo, their trembling bodies making Oikawa's body go into overdrive as he swung his arm back, the knife leaving his hand as it stuck into Shirabu's hand. The boy howled in pain before collapsing on the ground, holding onto the wound as Oikawa quickly grabbed the two Tributes and dragged them into the woods, not stopping until he felt they were far enough from the river.

"Stop. Please, just stop," a voice begged as Oikawa turned to see the two Tributes on the verge of collapse. He slowly released his grip from their wrists, the girl promptly collapsing in a heap on the ground while the male Tribute took a few gulps of air. Oikawa was used to running fast so he hadn't taken into account that they might not have been able to keep up with him.

"Thanks," the male Tribute muttered as he collapsed on the ground, panting as Oikawa sat down across from him. At the moment, they were in a small copse of trees that provided them a little bit of camouflage from any other Tributes so they were good to rest for a while. The female Tribute was now rocking on her butt, murmuring under her breath as the male Tribute sighed.

"Yachi isn't going to get any better as the Games go on. She's already seen one of her best friends die before her eyes… I don't even know how I'm going to protect her," the Tribute whispered as he brought his hands to card through his hair, his breathing becoming more erratic as he remembered Daichi's breath dying against him before the cannon going off.

How was he going to explain this to Asahi?

"Hey, hey, it going to be alright," Oikawa whispered as he pulled the silver-haired man against him, letting him sink into his chest before letting himself cry. The emotions of the past few hours building up in his chest finally burst free, his tears soaking into Oikawa's filthy jacket as the other boy rubbed circles in his shoulders.

"Neh, I never got your name. You always seemed a bit more refreshing but damn, you look like a wreck."

"Sugawara Koushi. That's Yachi Hitoka."

"My my, pleased to meet your acquaintance, Kou-chan. Let's help each other survive this crazy time, shall we?" Oikawa smiled as he held out a hand for Suga to shake, the other boy a bit dubious of Oikawa's intentions but glad they had someone strong with them.

After letting them rest for a while, Oikawa led them through the forest as they searched for shelter for the night. They managed to find a small cave for them to rest for the night, Oikawa opting to go hunt while Suga took care of Yachi, trying to get her to drink some water they got from a small stream earlier. The little girl barely drank anything, murmuring to herself as she rocked on her butt in the corner of the cave.

"How is she doing?" Oikawa whispered as they roasted some lizards over a small fire, the flames warming their hands as Suga look at her.

"I don't know how long she can last. Her mind is already so fragile and she isn't eating either."

Oikawa poked at the flames as he tried not to tell Suga to leave her behind. A mentally unstable Tribute was a death sentence and he felt it would be better to put her out of her misery anyways.

Iwaizumi might have said the same thing.

When night fell, the anthem of Panem played above their heads, the sound of the music cutting through the air as pictures of the fallen Tributes began to flash across the night sky. Faces of young boys and girls, now dead flashed one by one, their Districts written beneath their faces. They didn't even bother showing their names, adding them to the list of forgotten souls when Suga teared up at Daichi's face appearing across the night sky. Not long after, Tsukishima's face appeared as well, scowling as usual into the camera before the hologram finally turned off.

Oikawa felt himself sigh in relief that Iwaizumi had survived the bloodbath. As he watched the hologram flicker out of existence, he prayed that his best friend was safe out there, uninjured and that he would be able to make out of this hell alive.

…

Iwaizumi tossed in his sleep, his jacket barely providing him with any warmth as he wrapped his arms around himself. After falling down earlier, he knew his body was going to hurt the next day and after making sure his body had been refuelled, he thought it would be a good idea to settle in. His body was already screaming for him to lie down and rest but the moment his head hit the backpack he used as a pillow, he felt himself becoming wide awake once more.

The sound of music filling the air gave Iwaizumi an excuse to sit up, moving towards the mouth of the cave to see the night sky lit up with a hologram. One by one, the faces of fallen Tributes flashed across the sky, most of them unfamiliar to Iwaizumi. He did recognise Sawamura Daichi of District 6, his kind smile flashing across the sky before being replaced by another Tribute. Iwaizumi felt his gut twist as the bespectacled Tribute of District 11 flashed across the sky, his heart hammering as he prayed that Oikawa's face wouldn't flash across the sky.

The hologram died after Tsukishima's face was shown, a breath of relief escaping Iwaizumi's lips. His hadn't realise his heart had been beating so fast as he laid back to sleep, his hand reaching to hold onto his shirt as he willed himself to sleep, praying that he would be able to survive the Games the next day.

District 1 : Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou

District 2 : Shirabu Kenjirou, Goshiki Tsutomu

District 3: Kuroo Tetsurou, Kenma Kozume

District 4 : Haiba Lev, Yaku Morisuke

District 5 : Arakawa Shouta, Sakura Nanami

District 6: Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi

District 7 : Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji

District 8 : Sakamichi Kunihirou, Saitama Ryuma

District 9 : Mei Kimura, Kirishima Asuna

District 10 : Tanaka Ryunosuke, Shimizu Kiyoko

District 11: Tsukishima Kei, Hitoka Yachi

District 12 : Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime

**Day 1 of the 74****th**** Hunger Games**

Alive : 14

Dead : 10


	12. Chapter 12

Suga woke up from a fitful sleep of Daichi dying over and over in his arms, each time dying an even worse death than before. Before he had woken up, he had watched as a Tribute slashed at Daichi's head as he was trying to shield him from the impact, cleaving his head off his neck as his blood splattered across Suga's face.

"Hey hey. Relax, Kou-chan. You're safe," Oikawa yawned as he wiggled from his sleeping spot. Suga slowly nodded as he lifted his aching head from the ground, his brain pounding against his skull as he tried to get rid of the headache. As he slowly sat up from the ground, Oikawa moved to give him some water when Suga realised Yachi's spot was empty.

"Don't worry about her. She went to the river for a while."

"Are you mad?! She could be an easy target for any wandering Tributes!"

"Are you really that concerned about her? She's only going to weigh you down as the Games progress. If you keep watching out for her instead of your own back, you would never be able to survive," Oikawa stated as a matter of fact as Suga quickly grabbed his things to walk out of the cave before nearly hitting his head against the wall.

"See? You haven't even slept properly and can barely think straight."

"Shut it, Oikawa. Yachi may be a bit off in the head but now, I'm the only one who can protect her," Suga snarled as he stalked out of the cave, leaving Oikawa to sigh as he bit down into some fresh kill he had made that morning.

Oikawa himself hasn't had that great of a night, tossing and turning as he remembered how he had killed Tanaka without mercy. His hands still felt stained with his blood despite having washed them over and over, his own blood beginning to seep from the cracks in his knuckles. Oikawa checked his knives before going out of the cave, swinging a knife in one hand as he heard the ground rocking beneath his feet.

"Shit, this is too early for an earthquake," he growled as he started to run towards the river just as canon shot filled the air.

…

"Kageyama, are you sure it was a good idea to let those Tributes take over the Cornucopia? I mean, we wouldn't have to go hunting like this with all the supplies over there!" Hinata whined as Kageyama tried not to wrangle him against a tree. He had been hearing Hinata whine for hours, not managed to get any Tributes, and his stomach was beginning to rumble uncontrollably.

After having taken out some Tributes the day before, he and Hinata had been faced with a difficult situation with the Tributes of Districts 3, 4 and 7. Unlike the two of them, the Districts had formed an alliance with each other during Training and with their numbers, had taken over the Cornucopia and in effect, their supply line. Knowing they had no chance against them, Kageyama had no choice but to drag Hinata into the forest and survive without them.

Shit, he thought they would have had it easy if they had managed to kill them off in time.

However, as he stood in front of the glaring eyes of the Tribute from District 3, the boy's golden catlike eyes looking at him as though he would kill him on the spot, Kageyama felt himself turning into jelly at the thought of killing him. Hinata had been all about challenging them to a fight but after the bloodbath and them having an initial scuffle of grabbing weapons, he felt it was best to come back to the Cornucopia later and get whatever they needed.

Kageyama was beginning to regret his choice by the minute with how mad Hinata's whining was making him.

Shirabu and Goshiki had gone their separate, both stating it would be easier for them to hunt on their own and they didn't want to be stuck with a bickering duo to hold them down. After having his invitation turned down by Oikawa, that left Kageyama stuck with Hinata.

If he didn't die from the Hunger Games, it would be because of Hinata's constant bickering.

"Hey, boke! Shut up and keep your eyes peeled for food! I'm starving!"

…

Kuroo got along with Bokuto the moment he saw him. It was as though they were best bros since the day they were born, bonding over sparring during the training session and insulting each other over their horrible outfits during the parade.

Their two best friends from home, however, didn't seem to like each other very much.

Akaashi Keiji thought Kozume Kenma was a bit too quiet for his own liking and he didn't want to have to deal with the boy if possible. When Bokuto brought up the idea of an alliance with them, he had reluctantly agreed since he didn't want to see Bokuto upset since the guy would practically wail about it for the next few days and he needed Bokuto to be I his right frame of mind during the Games.

So one the canon started, the four of them had run to the Cornucopia and took refuge there, claiming it as their territory as the Carers reluctantly stalked off to hunt for other Tributes. It had been Kuroo's idea that they set up camp there since they wouldn't have to worry about supplies and since most of the other Tributes were aware that Carers would normally be lurking there, that meant they would be free of any attacks.

About ten minutes into the Games, they picked up a stray named Yaku, who volunteered to help guard their things if they needed to go hunting, which was rarely. Akaashi felt that they should focus on waiting until all the other Tributes were gone before deciding the next step. While Akaashi had a plan on what to do with the other members of their group, he knew Bokuto wouldn't want to come willingly with him so he didn't tell him anything going on in his mind.

When Bokuto had been picked as Tribute, the guy had been a bit more excited than he should have when going up the stage. They haven't had a Victor in years but their current Mentor, a man named Konoha was someone that Akaashi knew would be able to help them win. When they announced the next Tribute, Akaashi could almost feel like it was Fate trying to tell him he was stuck to Bokuto forever as he walked onto the stage, Bokuto bringing him into a bone-breaking hug as their parents cried from below.

Akaashi had a younger sibling who died in the games a few years prior and he had always regretted he hadn't volunteered in his place. Now that he was going with the boy who he looked up too and babysat for most of his life, he was going to make sure that one of them would make it out alive.

"What are you doing, Kenma?" Bokuto asked as the smaller boy began to dismantle the side of the pedestals they had been standing on to remove a device from inside. Kenma worked swiftly as he continued to do the same for the other pedestals, Kuroo breaking into a grin as he patted Bokuto on the back.

"Kenma is getting all the bombs. We know our pedestals were rigged and just in case someone wants to steal our supplies when we go out, we wouldn't want them to hold onto what we can't have right?"

"Oh! That's actually pretty neat!"

"How do we know he's not going to blow us up?" Yaku asked as he held the spear in his hand nervously. Akaashi pitied the poor guy for being left alone after his partner, Lev had accidentally fallen into the water and got electrocuted by electric eels when the Games began when he had been too scared to run off the pedestal. Shirabu had taken the chance to shoot at him, hitting him in the knee to send him falling into the water to his death. Akaashi could remember smelling decaying burnt flesh before his charred body was lifted out of the water an hour later, Yaku's face pale thinking that the guy had been driving him mad a few hours ago.

Despite the fact that they were in good hands, Akaashi couldn't help but feel that someone was going to spring a trap on them. He elected to go check out the surrounding area with Bokuto, the other Tribute bouncing on his feet as they walked into the forest arms with swords. Akaashi felt the pressure of the Cornucopia leaving his body as he stepped onto solid ground, his legs nearly giving way as Bokuto said, "Hey, Akaashi. Are we really going to kill Kuroo, Kenma and Lev when it comes to it?"

Akaashi could almost imagine Bokuto's hair wilting as he turned around to look at him, Bokuto's face falling from grinning widely to one of terror. His eyes spoke volumes of how he felt of seeing people dying around him and how he might have to kill Akaashi in the end.

"Bokuto-san, we will make it out alive."

"But only one of us can make it out."

"Then I will make sure it's you."

"But…"

Akaashi slipped his hand into Bokuto's as he pulled him close, pulling him into a hug as the bigger boy shook against him. Akaashi wanted to tell him he would be fine because he would kill anyone who stood in their way and would never let anyone touch him, even though he knew it would make Bokuto feel very very sad.

Why did the world have to be so cruel to throw a guy as nice as Bokuto into this mess?

"Come on, let's take a walk and clear out minds."

…

The next morning, the sun rose above the trees to signal the beginning of the second day of the Hunger Games. The night before, Akaashi had watched as the faces of fallen tributes flashed across the sky, his mind making note of those who remained as faces flashed across the sky. He was a little ticked off at the fact all the strong ones remained, meaning it was going to be a pain to deal with them later.

"Akaashi, your turn to take the next watch," Kenma yawned as he walked over, his eyes sleepy from having stayed up for the past few hours. The guys were taking two-hour shifts between the each of them the entire night and Akaashi was lucky he was the one in charge of dawn. He always liked waking up early and going for a walk around the District before having to go into the woods to cut wood with his family. Another reason was so he could avoid Bokuto's rambunctious laughter when he came in about an hour later and annoyed him for the rest of the day, although he would do anything for that scene now if he could.

Akaashi grabbed his trident and walked towards the beach, his feet touching the solid ground to give himself a breath of relief. He felt he was now free from the prying eyes of the other Tributes to have some peace on his own as he walked into the forest when he saw a small figure walking away on the cornucopia, his hair bouncing in the light as Akaashi squinted his eyes.

"What the…" he whispered when a boom went off in the Cornucopia. Akaashi gasped as he ran towards it, his feet reaching the base of the path when Bokuto shouted, "Akaashi, don't get any closer!"

Bokuto stood at the edge of the Cornucopia, his eyes wild as Kuroo screamed profanities in the air while Yaku tried to run for it, begging he had nothing to do with the explosions as the inside of the Cornocupia exploded.

"Bokuto-san!" Akaashi yelled as the three Tributes were thrown into the water, debris flying across the water. Yaku slammed onto the side of a pedestal before sinking into the water, a canon going off when he heard a scream that was cut off abruptly. Kuroo had been trying to swim to Bokuto, paddling to get to the other Tribute who was flaying in the water.

Akaashi forgot Bokuto had no idea how to swim.

Kuroo dove for Bokuto, grabbing onto his arms as he tried to pull him to the shore. Bokuto was screaming as blood pooled around them, Kuroo yelling for help as fins began to rise from the water and circle around them. Akaashi wanted to run to them but felt himself frozen in place, his trident slipping in his hands as he tried not to run.

"Akaashi, run for it!" Bokuto yelled as he and Kuroo were dragged under, his body sinking into the water as the sound of muffled screams echoed across the water. Akaashi screamed as he rocked on the ground, trying to block out the screams of his best friend dying. The canon didn't come soon enough, indicating that they had a very slow and painful death. Akaashi almost didn't hear the canon going twice as he slowly turned to see what remained of them floating in the surface, his stomach turning as he retched onto the sand, his eyes stinging as he cursed himself for his mistake.


	13. Chapter 13

Iwaizumi awoke to the earth rocking under his feet, the low rumbling followed by the sound of explosions in the distance. Iwaizumi quickly got to his feet, hand already clutching his bow when he heard the first of the canon fires going off. His heart sank, praying that the person who had died hadn't been Oikawa when two more followed not long after.

Mentally yelling at himself to calm down, Iwaizumi picked up his things as he went to scout the area. Morning dew clung onto the leaves of the trees in the forest, the sound of birds chirping in the air almost making him feel that he was back home in District 12 on a routine hunting day. Mist hugged the trees as he eyed it, his brain screaming at him to walk away as he got a whiff of it when he began to feel the alarm bells going off in his head.

Iwaizumi gagged as he quickly covered his nose with his hand, turning to run as the 'mist' began to creep up around him. Already he could begin to feel his body getting weaker as he ran through the forest, his mind spinning as he turned to see the entire area covered with it.

Of course if had to be poisonous gas. The Gamemakers wouldn't want the audience to get too bored with one of the top Tributes hiding away majority of the time without seeing any action. Iwaizumi screamed in his mind as he ran, trees passing his line of sight as he tried to make out where he was. His body was already beginning to turn numb from inhaling a bit of the gas from earlier and all he wanted to do was to just sit down and have a nap, letting it wash over him and let him rest in peace.

"Screw this!" he yelled as his leg caught a root, sending him tumbling down a slope with curses leaving his mouth in rapid succession before finally coming to a halt at the bottom. His head throbbed as he lay on the ground, watching as the gas remained trapped at the top, slowly fading away before the scene returned to normal. Iwaizumi let out a sigh of relief as he lay on the ground, finally letting himself catch a break when he heard a scream of anguish coming from not too far away.

…

"Kou-cha! Yacchan!" Oikawa screamed as he tore through the trees, his heart hammering as he ran towards the river. Already he had heard three canon fires in the past five minutes and he didn't want to take any chances of the Tributes having been killed being the people he had allied himself with. As he burst through the trees, he felt his heart nearly popping in relief when he saw the two of them safe and sound, Suga turning to look at him as Yachi hummed a little song under her breath.

"Holy shit, I thought they got to you," Oikawa gasped as Suga smiled weakly, "At least that just means three less people for us to kill, right?"

Oikawa couldn't argue against him for that as he slid to his knees, letting himself breath a little when Yachi offered him some water she had collected in a leaf. Oikawa gratefully took it from her hands, thanking her as he gulped it down when Suga said, "Where should we head to?"

"Judging from the sound of the explosion, my best bet would be that someone might have decided to blow the Cornocupia up. There are bombs placed in each of the pedestals so someone must have dug them up and used them to blow up the area."

"Why would they blow up the supplies?"

"No supplies means people would be forced to go on the hunt together. My best bet is that they wanted to make sure the Games end quickly."

"Do you think the Tributes of District 3 might be behind this?"

"Possibly. They're the ones who know tech at its best," Oikawa whispered as he raked his hand through his hair. He knew Shirabu might come back to finish them off, the bodies of the Tributes he killed yesterday already having been removed from the area. With Yachi being vulnerable, Oikawa would ideally like to leave her someplace safe or just put her out of her misery, but he knew Suga would kill him first before he could do anything.

"At any rate, we need to keep moving. The Carers would be on the hunt for people so we best try to put as much distance between us as we can," Oikawa murmured as Suga nodded, reaching to hoist Yachi onto his back before the three of them began making their way into the forest.

…

Shimizu Kiyoko never wanted to be part of the Games.

She had only wanted to live her life peacefully, have children with the man she loved and go about her life without having to worry about dying in the Arena.

That had been stolen from her when she had been announced as one of the Tributes for the Games and when Tanaka, the guy she had a crush on for years offered to be the next Tribute, she knew that her future was over. Tanaka was the only person who loved and cared for her and knowing him, he would give his life for her. Shimizu wouldn't be able to live with the guilt for the rest of her life.

Somehow, she managed to run away and stay safe for the first day, watching as Tanaka's face flashed across the night sky. Her heart clenched as she tried not to fall from the tree she was perched in from the night, her legs shaking at the thought that she was now all alone in the Arena without any allies. She didn't have much luck with Sponsors either given she didn't score well in the skills evaluation and made a good impression during the interviews so from that point, she was kinda screwed.

Shimizu found herself drifting into fitful sleep before being woken up to the ground shaking. She barely managed to keep herself from falling from her spot, gripping onto the tree for dear life when three shots of canon fire echoed across the Arena. Shimizu almost sighed in relief at the fact three competitors had been taken down when she heard the soft drone of buzzing from nearby when she realised she had parked herself in a very bad position.

A few metres from her head was a next of tracker jackers, the hive three times bigger than her head. Already, a swarm was beginning to form from the rumbling from earlier and her hands shook as she tried to find an escape route from it when she heard some voices shouting in the distance.

"What the hell was that?" a voice said that sounded like Hinata of District 1 before a yelp filled the air.

"Shut up, Boke! You want the other Tributes to realise we're here?" Kageyama's voice sounded as another voice quipped up. Goshiki Tsutomu of District 2.

"Don't worry, Kageyama! We can take them down no worries! There are three of us right?" Goshiki smirked as their voices began to get closer. Shimizu knew she wouldn't have any luck fighting them off and she wanted to get away from the tracker jackers as fast as she could, although she doubt she would be able to outrun them.

Unless…

Shimizu slowly crept from her spot to climb closer to the nest, reaching to pull out the knife she had gotten from the Cornocupia as she placed it onto the branch. Slowly, she began to saw away at the branch, ignoring the fact that she was getting stung by tracker jackers as she prayed the branch would crack. The voices of the three Careers were getting closer and closer, Shimizu wiping the sweat from her brow as she adjusted her glasses, thankful for once to have them on as the tracker jackers didn't sting her eyes.

"_Oh, you look really pretty in those glasses!" Tanaka had said when she had first got them. It had cost her family quite a bit to get them when Shimizu's eyesight had begun to fail, something that rarely occurred in the Districts considering people don't read and write as much. At one point, she could barely even see a few feet in front of her without them so when she finally did get them, she was relieved._

Shimizu bit her lip as the thought of Tanaka came to her mind, her hand moving faster as she saw a flahs of orange hair below her. Hinata didn't make any moves to reduce the volume of his voice, talking loudly about how he was going to catch them a good lunch while Kageyama tried to break him into a headlock. Goshiki stood a little far back from them as he watched the two bicker, a small voice telling Shimizu to stop what she was doing.

_They're just a bunch of kids like you. They deserve to live._

_No one asked to be in this death game._

"_I didn't either. But only one person can live," _Shimizu thought as the branch began to crack. Her arms were stinging, her mind swimming as she sawed through the wood one last time when the branch finally came free and tumbled to the earth. She heard a yell as the nest collided with Goshiki's head, the swarm breaking free from it within seconds to engulf his entire body as Hinata pushed Kageyama away from him just as the bugs swarmed around the smallr boy.

Hinata's screams tore through the forest as he cried out for help, screaming for the pain to stop as he was stung over and over. Kageyama tried to get close to him, trying to swat the bugs away with his sword as Hinata begged him to run.

"Boke, I'm not leaving you!"

"Run before you… arghhh…. Get… stung… AHHHHHH!" Hinata shrieked as he clawed at his face, the bugs already entering his body to sting his eyes and throat before he finally crumpled to the ground. Kageyama roared as he heard the sound of two canons going off in the air, the sound of buzzing dying as the tracker jackers fell to the ground dead. Shimizu sighed as she grasped onto the tree, her vision swimming in and out of focus when she heard something shatter.

Blood coated her eyes as she fell to the ground, the sound of the canon going off before she even hit the ground with a sickening thud.

…

Kageyama stood over Shimizu's body, Hinata's knife stuck in her forehead as he plucked it out. His face remained impassive as he kicked her body aside, crushing her glasses under his feet as he turned to see his two partners dead on the ground. Goshiki had died a swift death after the nest broke his neck upon impact but Hinata had suffered for a good few minutes before finally succumbing to his wounds.

Kageyama sank to his knees as he picked up Hinata's still body in his arms, stroking his still soft hair as he tried not to look at how distorted and swollen his body had become from all the stinging. Boils and sores coated his tiny frame, one of his eyes having been stung to the point it had turned black with venom as the other stared sightlessly upwards. His mouth was open in a scream, remnants of tracker jackers lodged in his throat as Kageyama slowly closed his eyes with his fingers, rocking his body against his as he snarled.

"I will win, Shouyou. For both of us."

Reluctantly, he pressed a kiss on his partner's forehead, slowly laying him in his lap as he began to remove all of his weapons from his person. Once he had removed everything, he moved to do the same to Goshiki and Shimizu, making sure their bodies had been removed of anything useful when he heard the whirr of the plane above his head. Kageyama stepped back as the large claw descended from the belly of the beast, wrapping itself around Hinata's tiny frame to lift him into the sky.

For the first time in many years, Kageyama felt himself break into tears as he sobbed that once again, he was all alone.


	14. Chapter 14

Not too long after the first three canons had gone off, another three went off not too far from where Oikawa and his group where. Oikawa mentally did the math of how many people were left in the Games, coming to the grim conclusion that eight of them were left standing after 24 hours.

Things were progressing a bit faster than he would expect.

"Tsukishima. Yamaguchi, we're going to be alright, right?" Yachi whispered as Suga smiled, giving Yachi a little jostle on his back as he said, "Don't worry, we will make it out of here just fine."

"You best not give her false hope in a situation like this. There is no telling what might happen during the Games," Oikawa whispered as Suga snapped, "Well, I know I don't have a freaking chance in wining this thing, because I am weak! That's why I'm doing everything in my power to make sure I even stay sane for the time being and making sure Yachi is alright!"

"And what the hell do you think that helps you with?! You're bringing a liability around when her mind will never get better! You're just avoiding the inevitable!"

"As if you understand how its like to be in this position when you have the crowd going for you and your beloved Iwa-chan! I have no one to support me, and the same goes to Yachi! No one will come to our aid so you're saying its wrong for us to even want to believe a small lie for a little longer?" Suga yelled, his voice echoing across the forest as Yachi whispered, "Suga-san?"

"Sorry for raising my voice, Yachi… but I think we're better off without you, Oikawa-san. If I'm going to die in the Hunger Games, at least I want to die on my own terms and without someone who is telling me to abandon a friend," Suga snarled as Oikawa reached out to grab his hand.

"You blinking idiot. You know what happens to Tributes who have no weapons and no idea how to defend themselves, not to mention have to shoulder someone quite literally on their shoulders for the entirety of the Games. You're asking to get killed."

"Then tell me why I should stay with you? For all I know, you could take us out before we even know what happened to us. It has happened in the past hasn't it? Best friends killing each other in the Arena. Would you do that to Iwa-chan, if that comes to shove? Would you kill your best friend? Because I won't. Not like it matters since he's dead and six feet under anyway," Suga whispered as he let himself sob for a moment, Oikawa letting his hand fall as Yachi cocked her head to the side.

"Listen… I'm sorry for telling you to leave Yachi behind. I just don't want you to… you didn't even know her until the Hunger Games. Why are you risking so much for someone like her?" Oikawa said as Suga smiled weakly, "Isn't that obvious? We're all in this shit together. Isn't it only humane that we watch out for each other in this kind of situation?"

Oikawa stopped in his tracks as he let the words wash over him. He never really thought about how he was going to deal with them afterwards and was partially helping them out because of pity. To consider them as allies, that was something that didn't cross his mind at all.

Why was he helping them?

A cannon shot rang through the air as a body fell to the ground, a scream tearing through the air as Suga howled. Oikawa cursed as he ran towards them, cursing himself for letting them alone for even a little bit when he saw Yachi on the ground with an arrow stuck through her throat. She was already gone, blood pooling around her tiny frame as Suga tried in vain to bring her back. Standing nearby was the person who killed off half of their group the previous day, a bored look on his face as he took aim one more time. The wound on his hand hadn't gotten any better, an ugly red scab forming over his right hand as he aimed the crossbow with his left.

Guess his aim was good no matter which hand he used.

"Seriously, Shirabu-chan, don't you have anything better to do then to hunt down these poor people?" Oikawa growled as he twisted a knife in his hand, getting into a stance as Suga yelled, "You murderous bastard! She was just a child!"

"Everyone here is a child, Sugawara. It took you long enough to realise that we are just pieces of entertainment for those idiots in the Capitol. I don't care what I have to do to win, even if it is to kill each one of you. And I will do it all over again," Shirabu growled as Suga launched himself onto the other Tribute, both of them slamming into a tree as Shirabu tried to get him off him. He slammed his broken hand into Suga's back, making the silver-haired boy choke although that didn't do anything to release his hold from him. Shirabu's crossbow flayed in the air as he tried to take aim, Suga screaming as Oikawa tried to aim.

"Don't mind me! Just kill this bastard!"

"You're in the freaking way, Kou-chan! I can't aim!"

"I don't care if I die at this rate! For Yachi, just do it!" Suga screamed as Shirabu kicked him in the gut, sending the boy to his knees as he growled, "If you want to die so bad, die."

"KOU-CHAN!" Oikawa screamed as the sounds of two arrows launching filled the air, one whizzing past his own ear too close for comfort as another flew from Shirabu's crossbow. Shirabu choked as an arrow stuck into his throat, his crossbow falling to the ground as he clawed at the wound.

"You…" he growled as he fell to the ground, twitching before the cannon went off, signalling he was dead. Oikawa almost collapsed in relief on the ground when a pair of arms grabbed him from behind, holding onto him tightly as he tried to squirm when a familiar voice breathed into his ear, "Shittykawa. Thank goodness you're alright."

Oikawa wanted to lean into him and cry into him, to just hold onto him and let Iwaizumi baby him. The guy smelled of smoke and blood, sweat coating his body from having not showered for the past day. Oikawa moved to turn around to Iwaizumi to get a better look at him when Suga coughed, a sad smile forming on his lips as he said, "You two do look good together."

Oikawa gasped as he realised Suga had been hit in the chest, blood already bubbling from his lips as collapsed to the ground, gasping for air as he clawed at the wound. As he scrambled over to him and pulled him into his lap, Suga could only start sobbing as he said, "Shit, I'm really dying am I?"

"Shut it, Kou-chan. You're going to live, you hear me?"

"Oikawa… you know I won't be able to make it."

"Damn you! You had to throw yourself onto Shirabu like that!"

Suga coughed as Iwaizumi walked over, his bow in hand as Suga reached towards him. Iwaizumi gently took his hand, flinching at how it was getting colder as Suga whispered.

"Thank you, for saving Oikawa… at least you two can be together in the end."

"Shut it, Kou-chan. Please… please… don't die," Oikawa begged as Suga smiled, "Daichi…. Sorry for coming to meet you too soon."

Suga gave one last breath as his hand went slack in Iwaizumi's. The bigger Tribute slowly put his hand across his chest, turning to see his best friend crying as he held onto Suga. Suga truly had an angelic face, looking as beautiful as he did when he was alive with his eyes closed. Oikawa slowly set his body into the ground, moving to yank the arrow out of his chest as a cannon went off in the distance.

"Iwa-chan, can we make a burial for the two of them?"

…

The sound of three more cannon shots going off into the air didn't make Iwaizumi any less better. He was sceptical at how fast things were moving in the Games now with only eight Tributes left to fight against. At this rate, they might be leaving the Arena for home much earlier than he thought.

No, he couldn't be too optimistic about it yet.

A scream rang across the air just as another cannon shot sounded across the sky. Iwaizumi's grip on his bow tightened as he registered how close the scream had been, running towards the source as he heard Oikawa's voice floating through the air. Iwaizumi quickly ducked behind a tree as he saw his friend facing off Shirabu from District 1, the other boy with a nasty wound on his right hand. A girl lay dead nearby, an arrow lodged in her throat as her partner tried to wake her up in vain.

"Seriously, Shirabu-chan, don't you have anything better to do then to hunt down these poor people?" Oikawa growled as he twisted a knife in his hand, getting into a stance as the silver haired Tribute yelled, "You murderous bastard! She was just a child!"

"Everyone here is a child, Sugawara. It took you long enough to realise that we are just pieces of entertainment for those idiots in the Capitol. I don't care what I have to do to win, even if it is to kill each one of you. And I will do it all over again," Shirabu growled as Suga launched himself onto the other Tribute, both of them slamming into a tree as Shirabu tried to get him off him. Iwaizumi could see Oikawa tense up as he tried to take aim, unsure of how to throw the knife at Shirabu with Suga covering most of his body.

"Just kill him!" Suga screamed as he was kicked to the ground, Shirabu taking aim at him as Iwaizumi sprung into action. He felt his hand reaching for an arrow as he notched it into the bow, letting it fly as he heard Oikawa scream piercing his ears.

"KOU-CHAN!"

As Iwaizumi's arrow hit home, he watched as the other arrow dug into Suga's chest, his eyes flying wide as he stared at the growing patch of blood on his shirt. Even as Shirabu collapsed to the ground, Iwaizumi didn't wait as he rushed to Oikawa, throwing his bow onto the ground as he wrapped his arms around him. Oikawa flinched a little at the sudden attack before sinking into his arms, letting all the tension leave his shoulders as Iwaizumi dug his face into the crook of his neck.

"Thank goodness you're safe. Thank goodness you're safe."

It was then that Suga spoke up that Iwaizumi realised the boy was still alive, his body crumpling to the ground as Oikawa rushed over to his side, picking him up to place him on his lap as he apologised to him. Iwaizumi had always thought Oikawa had been someone without genuine feelings but now, as he cried for Suga, he saw how his face broke as he begged Suga for forgiveness.

Even as the boy passed, Oikawa didn't let go of him until the canon went off in the distance, the life in Suga's eyes faded as Oikawa slowly moved to close his eyes. His best friend sat there as Iwaizumi crouched to touch his shoulder, wanting to urge him that they needed to keep moving as Oikawa whispered, "Let's give them a proper burial."

Despite knowing that the Gamemakers will eventually come and collect the bodies, he knew it was the most decent thing they could do to let them rest in peace.

Slowly, the two of them moved the two fallen Tributes side by side, leaving Shirabu where he was as they began to lay flowers around them. Iwaizumi slowly removed the arrow from Yachi's throat, smoothing out the collar of her shirt as he zipped up her jacket to cover her wound. According to Oikawa, she had already lost the will to fight after losing her partner and would have died sooner or later. He just wished she hadn't had to die such a painful death. Suga on the other hand had wanted to survive, but gave up his life to make sure Oikawa could live.

"Hey, Iwa-chan. Do you think its fair that we're living off the bodies of others? If we kill, we live. But at what cost? By killing so many innocent people, does that mean we're monsters too?" Oikawa whispered as he placed the bouquet of flowers over Suga's chest. He smoothed out Suga's hair before dropping to give him a kiss on the forehead, his tears staining Suga's pale cheeks as Iwaizumi placed a hand on him. Oikawa sobbed even as he watched the two Tributes getting taken away, their small bodies being lifted into the air to be taken away to who knew where. Oikawa couldn't bear the thought of how Suga and Daichi's friend was going to react when he sees their bodies, or if he would even remain sane at the end of it.

"Iwa-chan… I don't want to kill anymore. I don't…" Oikawa whispered as Iwaizumi pulled him into his embrace, both of them standing in the pile of flowers that had scattered across the forest floor when the wind created by the plane had swept them away. Iwaizumi didn't let him go as another plane came to carry Shirabu off, letting him sob into his shoulder.

"We're almost there. We're almost there. Don't worry, Tooru. I will protect you. I promise."


	15. Chapter 15

Oikawa had been awfully quiet ever since Suga and Yachi had been killed. Even though they had been reunited, he didn't so much speak to Iwaizumi unless it was something concerning their safety as they hid in Iwaizumi's cave.

"Hey, Oikawa, you need to eat," Iwaizumi whispered as he handed him some food. Oikawa merely shook his head as he continued to rock on his butt, staring outside as he waited for the names of the dead to be announced. The sky slowly turned darker, the cave rapidly becoming colder as Iwaizumi hugged his shoulders, moving to start a fire when the anthem of Panem began to fly in the air.

One by one, the names and faces of the fallen Tributes were flashed across the sky. Iwaizumi had to admit he was surprised that Kuroo, Bokuto and Yaku had been killed, guessing it must have been a backstabbing of some sort considering their other halves were still alive. Guessed that also explained what the explosion was about. With the Careers prowling around, they must have laid claim to the goods before being blown sky high.

Even Hinata and Goshiki of Districts 1 and 2 had been taken out. The orange haired Tribute's smile remained as bright as ever as his face flashed across the sky, Iwaizumi's stomach dropping when he realised that his partner was still out there, possibly thirsty for blood after losing his partner. On the bright side, that left them with just one Career to deal with.

Oikawa's breath hitched as Suga's face flashed across the sky before being followed by Yachi. Their names were the last to be announced, the music dying as soon as Yachi's face was shown as Oikawa buried his face into his knees.

"Iwa-chan, did I kill them?" he whispered, his voice muffled as he rocked.

"Hey, Oikawa.."

"If I hadn't rescued them, they might have lived a little longer. They might have been able to evade the other Tributes. I just had to bring them to Shirabu to be killed. Yachi-chan as well… she had already lost her mind and I made her suffer even longer…"

"Tooru…"

"Please! Hajime-chan! Tell me that it wasn't my fault they died! I can't… I can't bear to live with the thought that I killed innocent people. Children even! Why… why did I have to be picked to play this horrible game?!" Oikawa wailed as he sobbed, letting his tears soak through the fabric of his pants. His body shivered from the cold as Iwaizumi came up from behind, wrapping him in his arms as he let his best friend sob.

"I don't know what to do… I don't want to kill anymore. I don't want to kill anyone," he whispered as Iwaizumi tilted his face up. Oikawa's breath hitched as he closed the distance between them, kissing his lips softly before pulling away. There was a slight blush on his cheeks as he licked his lips, bringing them close again as he kissed him.

Why? Why was he kissing his best friend?

Was it because the crowd saw them as star crossed lovers?

Or did he truly care for him more than he thought and didn't want any regrets before they died?

"Shittykawa. You've got me," he whispered as Oikawa reached to hold onto his neck, kissing him deeply as they scooted deeper into the cave. Oikawa slammed Iwaizumi against the wall, their kissing growing more frantic as Oikawa carded his fingers through Iwaizumi's hair, the other man gasping as he held onto him, pulling him into his lap.

"Iwa-chan. I want you. I want all of you. Please," Oikawa whispered against him as Iwaizumi nodded. He moved his mouth towards his neck, peppering kisses along it before moving lower to his collarbone, sucking on the pale skin as the other boy gasped.

The two of them had nothing to lose anymore.

So why not put up a show for the entire Capitol to see?

…

Matsukawa Issei thought life had been a joke since the day he was born.

He had to be born in the poorest District in the Capitol, had to be picked for the Hunger Games when he finally had one year left to be picked. And he had to be chosen with his best friend and lover, Hanamaki Takahiro. When both of them had been picked, Matsukawa couldn't help but feel the gods were trying to deny him of everything he ever wanted; peace and love. He thought the two of them could finally run away from it all, into the woods and past the mountains to who knew where where they will never be hurt again.

He and Makki did all they could to prep for the Games. They had no Mentor considering there had never been a Victor for District 12 and their Escort just left them to their own devices. The only reason they never went mad to begin with was because of the knowledge they had each other, even if they would die together in the end.

Somehow, they had managed to go through the Games without much need of fighting. They hid where they could, hunted Tributes if needed and protected themselves from the elements. Their year had been considered one of the harshest Hunger Games since it was in the ruins of an old civilisation, not giving them much opportunity to find food unless they had Sponsors. Many Tributes died from hunger and from getting killed when they tried to run to the Cornocupia for food.

The two of them were some of the last few standing. There had been one more Tribute left alive, a guy from District 4 whom most people thought wouldn't be able to survive anyway. Both of them thought they would have some miracle to even be able to survive all that way together but Lady Luck decided to abandon them at the last minute when all three Tributes made their way to the Cornocupia at the same time.

The other Tribute was already half mad from having had no food for the past few days. There were tell tale signs of blood on his lips, indicating he might have been eating fallen Tributes in order to survive. That wasn't unusual in these kind of situations and when he saw them, he licked his lips as he lunged for the kill.

Matsukawa had been holding onto a spear at the time. Hanamaki had a pair of knives in his hands. All they had to do was to throw their weapons at the Tribute, skewer him and they could walk home alive. Instead, Hanamaki threw himself in front of Matsukawa, shielding him as the other Tribute plunged his sword into him. Matsukawa speared through the Tribute, the boy collapsing on the ground as a canon went off in the distance. Hanamaki had fallen not too long afterwards, Matsukawa trying to cradle him as he whispered his name over and over.

"Makki, you moron. Why?" he whispered as Makki smiled, "I didn't want you to make the choice, you idiot."

"Why… I would have rather us die together."

"And for what? Then everyone's death would have been meaningless. At least if one of us lived…"

"Makki… how the hell would I live without you?" Matsukawa whispered as his lover cupped his cheek, blood staining it as his fingers moved to his jaw to bring him close.

"I will always be alive in your heart," he whispered as he reached to kiss him before his last breath left him. His hand fell to the ground, Matsukawa holding onto him as the canon went off and fanfare erupted in the air as he was announced the winner.

There were no Winners in the Hunger Games.

Only survivors.

Matsukawa thought he could help others evade his fate by showing them how to survive but as the years passed, District 12 failed to produce any Victors, let alone anyone who survived the bloodbath of the Cornucopia. He started to give up on even showing himself in front of others, locking himself up in his house and drinking his worries away. Alcohol had been something he hated in the beginning for the awful taste it brought to his mouth but now, it kept all the ghosts haunting him at bay for just a little longer.

Then he had stumbled across another pair of Tributes very much like him and Hanamaki. Two best friends, forced to kill each other in the Arena, one very much in love with the other. Matsukawa had wanted to tell them to run, to just run away from it all before they suffered the same fate as him and Hanamaki, but he knew he couldn't.

Hanamaki would be yelling at him from above for trying to abandon another pair of Tributes.

If he couldn't save his lover, at least he could save this pair.

As Matsukawa weaved through the crowd of potential sponsors, he tries his best to bring up his cocky smile, swooning and smooth talking to the sponsors as he tried to encourage them to sponsor Oikawa and Iwaizumi. Oikawa had already done a good job promoting themselves as Starcrossed lovers to the crowd, something he and Hanamaki thought it had bene best to hide in case it made them a target for discrimination but Oikawa hadn't bothered hiding it, going as far to mark Iwaizumi before his last interview. While the brown-haired boy was shameless about his flirting, it had done Iwaizumi good considering his face always looked like he wanted to murder someone.

There was a gasp in the crowd as someone pointed to the large screen on the wall, Matsukawa turning to see the commotion. He had just put some champagne into his mouth when he saw Iwaizumi pulling Oikawa into a kiss, the other boy returning it as they moved deeper into the cave, holding onto each other as their hands began to wander across their bodies. He even saw Iwaizumi slipping a hand into Oikawa's trousers, a move that made some women squeal as Matsukawa tried not to spit out his drink.

Well, that was an effective strategy.

Already, some of the people he had talked to prior were walking towards him, some of them asking him to let them sponsor for the two Tributes. Osamu, who stood a bit away from them was busy negotiating with a man with sleepy eyes, a smirk on his face as he talked. Matsukawa sighed as he hoped he was doing his job of getting sponsors instead of getting pulled in by someone when his eyes moved to the screen to see where Oikawa and Iwaizumi were at.

…

Miya Osamu had never been a fan of the Hunger Games.

He didn't see the point of throwing the descendants of Rebels into an Arena and let them kill each other until one of them is left. While he did get the appeal of watching people fight, he couldn't care less about what happened in the past and why the people of the present were being punished for the sins of their ancestors.

So when he was picked to become an Escort to the worst District in the Capitol, he thought he might be able to do something to even help those poor souls live the last of their days to their best.

District 12 had only ever produced one Victor, and the said Victor wasn't the best mentor a person could get. Most of the Tributes merely spent their last days stuffing their faces with food and enjoying the luxuries of the Capitol to the maximum only to get slaughtered within minutes of the Games starting. Osamu partially wished he could crawl away and fulfil his dream of opening an onigiri shop as it was his all time favourite food and about the one thing in his life he could do right.

He was considering of quitting after the 74th Hunger Games after being Escort for the past three years when he saw Iwaizumi volunteering as Tribute when his best friend was called. Osamu couldn't help but think he was stupid at first for risking his life for a friend but as time passed, he slowly began to see the relationship the two of them had build with each other

"_Say, Samu. What do you wanna do after school?" Atsumu had asked as they lounged in their empty classroom. Most of the students had gone home, leaving the twins to their own devices as they looked out at the lawn. _

"_I dunno. Maybe open an onigiri shop."_

"_Bull. That's boring. Why don't you become an entertainer or something? You could always become my double in case I want to sneak off during my job."_

"_Hell no. That's your own business."_

"_Hey! How about you become an Escort? I'm sure you should be able to get the job considering you've got the face for it."_

_Escort. Osamu never thought about it but it didn't seem too bad._

_He might be able to help those that had been wronged by the Capitol. Even though he never said it out loud, he had always thought the Capitol's way of living was stupid, with their ridiculous parties and fashion while people were starving and dying outside._

_If he could even help make their lives a tiny bit better, it might relief him of the guilt of being a Capitol citizen leeching off the lifelihood of those in the Districts._

"_Hmmm… I'll think about it."_


	16. Chapter 16

Iwaizumi woke up to the sound of beeping filling the air and the low rumble of Oikawa steadily breathing next to him. Iwaizumi turned to see Oikawa sleeping soundly next to him, his jacket draped across his naked chest, his eyes closed as he mumbled something in his sleep. There was even drool coming out from his mouth as Iwaizumi slowly pulled his arm away from him, moving towards the source of the sound when he saw the package.

His eyes widened to the sight of a new quiver of arrows, his hands steadily counting them to come up with 20 arrows in all. Inside the package was a note from Matsukawa, the words typed out with the initials MI beneath it that said "You finally managed to shoot straight eh?" Iwaizumi silently thanked him when he saw another package not too far off, moving to open the container to smell onigiri hitting his nose.

"Iwa-chan?" Oikawa mumbled as Iwaizumi retreated back into their cave, moving to sit down next to him as Oikawa shivered, "Brr, why is it so cold?"

"As if I need to answer that," Iwaizumi growled as he handed Oikawa an onigiri, the other boy's eyes widening as he pounced on the ball of rice and began to wolf it down.

"Oi, if you eat too fast, you're going to throw up!"

"Well, Iwa-chan can always clean up after me right?" Oikawa smirked as Iwaizumi cuffed him at the back of the head, making the other boy squeal before Iwaizumi turned to his own food. Both boys munched on their breakfast, the sun steadily rising in the sky as Oikawa said, "So, there's five of us left right?'

"Kageyama, us, and the two Tributes from 3 and 7. I didn't really get an impression from the Tribute from 3, but 7 seems like he could be lethal."

"Akaashi Keiji. I wondered did he off his fellow Tribute."

"Don't think so. He adores the guy to a fault."

"Kageyama?"

"Don't think he would do it. Must have been the person behind the explosion," Iwaizumi murmured as he finished his food, clapping his hands together to thank for the meal before reaching to grab his bow and arrows. With only five Tributes remaining, the Gamemakers would be stepping up their game in trying to make sure they meet each other so that meant more moving from their end.

Once Oikawa had finished dressing, they made their way back into the forest, walking next to the river as they headed downstream. They had been sticking to the forest the entire time, never exploring the other parts of the Arena. Oikawa even hummed a little tune under his breath as they walked, admiring the view around them before coming to a cliffside that showed the ruins of the Cornocupia under them. Beyond was forest and mountains circling the Arena, the sun high in the sky as birds flew across.

The Arena was made in the shape of a dome. In the centre of it all was the Cornocupia, or what remained of it, surrounded by the body of water. By the looks of it, the river empties itself into the small lake surrounded the Cornocupia, meaning that even if the person survives the water, they wouldn't survive what awaited them in the end. Iwaizumi shivered at the memories of Tributes getting eaten and stung in those waters, his hand gripping slightly tighter on his bow.

"Hey, Iwa-chan," Oikawa whispered as he moved to peck Iwaizumi on the cheek, his hand reaching to hold Iwaizumi's free hand as Iwaizumi sighed, "Hey, just because we're supposed to be in love, doesn't mean you can cling to me all the time, got it?"

"Aw, come on! This is such a good opportunity to go on a date!" Oikawa chirped as Iwaizumi growled, wanting to snatch his hand away as they made their way back. Since they now knew how the Arena was like, that meant if they could circle around the area towards where the end was, it might lead them somewhere or to someone. Iwaizumi had a feeling that Kozume Kenma of District 3 might be lurking anywhere that had technology available since he would be able to do pretty much anything with it. There had been years where Tributes from District 3 have used the technology available to their advantage. There had even been a year where a Tribute wiped out his competitors by shocking all of them with electricity (too bad he forgot he wasn't out of range and got hit by it as well).

As they walked upward towards the mountain areas, Iwaizumi really hoped he didn't have to come across anymore Tributes. His body was already feeling the exhaustion of being on edge for the past three days and his body ached quite a bit.

They stepped across the river using a path of stones, crossing to the other side as they headed back into the forest. It was about the same as it was on their side, trees coming together to block out the sun and the sounds of animals in the woods as Iwaizumi pulled an arrow out and notched it in his bow just in case. Oikawa had a knife in his hand as well, his eyes scanning the area.

"Hey, Iwa-chan. Let me take the lead," he whispered as he walked ahead, Iwaizumi slowly nodding as he looked around. The place was too quiet for his liking, the sounds of an wildlife having been reduced to nothingness when he thought he heard a low hum in the background.

"Oikawa," he whispered as Oikawa stopped, moving to throw his knife in front of him as it exploded. Oikawa yelped as he covered his face, sparks flying off what appeared to be a forcefield as Iwaizumi yanked him back. Oikawa slammed into his chest as they took several steps back, the forcefield fizzling in and out of view as Iwaizumi finally let out a breath.

"Darn, I thought it might have done the job of wiping you two out," a tongue clicked. A small figure popped out from the bushes, a hood pulled over their head as catlike eyes stared at them. Iwaizumi aimed his arrow at the boy, who removed his hood as a catlike sneer crossed his lips.

"Ken-chan, what a lovely surprise," Oikawa grinned as Kenma held a controller in his hand.

"I wouldn't move if I were you. I set a trap right at where you're standing. If you so much move, you're going to sizzle to a crisp. I don't know if it would work though, but you never know." The smirk on Kenma's face made Iwaizumi's skin crawl.

"That was almost too easy. I set the trap for the others since they're a pain in the ass but to think I managed to get you two, its going to be even better. No one ever expects the quiet puddinghead from District 3 to win, so I'm going to show them that someone who is good with tech has just about the same amount of chance of winning the games as with you jocks," Kenma spat as Oikawa said, "Judging from what you've just said, I assumed you're the one who must have blown up the Cornocupia?"

"Oh yes I did. Ah, it was amazing. I didn't expect the whole thing to explode like that. I mainly did it to get rid of the supplies and the people in it but too bad Akaashi-san got away. He was the most annoying of the bunch. Now he's looking for me to avenge his beloved Bokuto-san. His obsession with that man is sick," Kenma spat as Iwaizumi snarled, "You killed your fellow Tribute just to get back at Bokuto?"

"Kuroo was too trusting of him! He thought he would be able to make it out with Bokuto if everything goes right. He didn't listen to me when I told him having Bokuto just means having a higher chance of getting backstabbed by him in the end. He didn't believe me, always thinking that Bokuto is a good guy so I offed him before he could get killed by anyone else. What better way to die than to get killed by your best friend? Although I do feel a bit bad that he didn't die right off the bat. Must have hurt to be swimming with the sharks," Kenma snickered, the mad glint in his eyes shining as Oikawa snarled, "You're a sicko, you know that?"

"So what? Its not like I'm going to be sane at the end of this. I've already lost everything so what else can they take from me? I don't even value my life anymore dammit!" Kenma laughed as he reached into his pocket, fumbling until he raised what appeared to be a gun as he smirked, "I'm not a good shot, but I can still blow a few holes in you to make you squirm."

He laughed as he took aim, Iwaizumi also taking aim when a strangled cry rang from the forest, a body colliding with Kenma as they both rolled across the dirt. Kenma yelled as the Tribute assaulting him slammed his head into the ground, Kenma coughing as the boy holding onto him snarled, "What did you say about Bokuto-san?"

"Ah, Akaashi. You finally showed yourself," he snarled as Akaashi laughed, "You think I wouldn't sniff you out? You forgot that owls can hunt their prey in even the worst of situations."

He dragged Kenma over to the forcefield, the smaller boy squirming in his grip as Akaashi whispered in his ear, "You said you felt bad for making the others swim with the fishes? How would you like a taste of your own medicine?"

Kenma yelled as Akaashi slammed him into the forcefield, the smaller boy screaming as he hit the forcefield. His body spasmed and burned as he screamed, electricity burning him from the inside out as Akaashi continued to ram him into it, ignoring the fact he was getting burnt as well.

"Hey get away from there you idiot!" Iwaizumi yelled as Akaashi continued to slam Kenma into the forcefield despite the boy having gone limp, small whimpers escaping his mouth as Akaashi threw him to the ground. Kenma was a wreck, his body covered with burns and half of his face burned off as Akaashi reached into his pocket and brought out a knife.

"This is for Bokuto-san," he whispered as he drove the blade into Kenma's chest, the sound of the canon going off in the sky as Kenma lay still, Akaashi panting as he turned to look at Oikawa and Iwaizumi who had been frozen at the mad spectacle. Akaashi smiled as he turned the blade to himself, Oikawa screaming for him to stop as he whispered, "I will see you soon, Bokuto-san."

He drove the tip of the blade into his heart, gasping as he fell to the ground. His body twitched before finally going still, the canon going off in the sky. Iwaizumi and Oikawa slowly stepped out of the trap, moving to look at the two fallen Tributes as Oikawa slowly stepped in to close their eyes.

"I knew he was mad but this is crazy," Oikawa whispered as he stood up, the smell of burning flesh making him want to throw up as Iwaizumi slowly steered him away from the scene. As they walked away, they could hear the sound of planes coming in to collect the two bodies, taking them back to their Districts as Oikawa whispered, "There is just three of us now, Iwa-chan. What are we going to do?"

Kageyama Tobio vs. the two of them.

Iwaizumi had no idea if the odds were in their favour on this, but he needed to have faith that they were going to make it out of this alive.


	17. Chapter 17

Kageyama Tobio had never been one to be loved.

His entire life, he had been alone.

His parents were Peacekeepers and worked away in other Districts for most of the year, leaving him and his sister in the care of his grandfather, a previous Victor in one of the earliest Hunger Games. Even though he was an elderly man, he still had the strength to face off people half a century younger than him with ease, even teaching in the Peacekeeper Academy as well as the academy that produced Careers. While he had been opposed on it opening in its early years, he went on to support if after his grandchildren expressed interest in trying their luck to become Tributes and eventual Victors.

Kageyama was only seven years old when his sister died.

She had been so close to winning when her lover stabbed her in the back in the Arena, killing her to make him the Victor of that particular Hunger Games. That incident taught Kageyama to never to trust anyone in the Arena, even if they claimed to love you or be your friend. His family had been torn by the incident, with Miwa having been her parents favourite. Kageyama was left even more lonely without her and wouldn't have got through it all if it wasn't for his grandfather.

"Grandpa, the other kids keep complaining I'm too strong… should I hold back?" Kageyama had asked as he threw knife after knife into the centre of the training dummy. His grandfather watched as his grandson practiced in their backyard, the air chilly around them with snow already coating the ground. Even though the wind was great for his old bones, he still stayed to watch his grandson train.

"Don't be. You're training to be a Tribute, to win the Hunger Games. The Games are something to be reckoned with and to even slack just because others can't keep up with you can be the worst mistake."

"But I can't find anyone to match up with me. I'm already starting to feel bored," Kageyama muttered as he threw another knife into the target. In District 1, they were only allowed to volunteer at the age of 15 so he still had another few years to go before he could do it.

"Listen Tobio. One day, if you become strong enough, someone just as strong would definitely find you," his grandfather smiled as he beckoned his grandson to come over. Kageyama slowly walked over into his grandfather's embrace, wrapping himself around the older man as his grandfather held him tight.

"Come on, enough training for today. You need to live like a kid and have fun once in a while Tobio! How about I get you some milk from your favourite shop?" he had smiled as Kageyama grinned, the smile breaking his face wiping all harsh memories from his mind for a moment as he nodded.

A year before he turned 15, his grandfather passed away from ill health. Without the proper medical facilities to begin with, his grandfather died after contracting cancer, passing away with only Kageyama next to him. His own children hadn't even come to bid him goodbye, leaving Kageyama to proceed with the funeral preparations and burying his grandfather by himself. As he watched the coffin being laid into the grave next to his sister, Kageyama could almost feel himself getting buried six feet under the ground, his feelings buried together with his grandfather and his sister as he walked away from the graveyard.

He trained even harder for the next Reaping, spending every waking moment trying to hone his skills. No one in the Academy could match up with him any longer, with some of the students becoming furious at his antics when they spared. He didn't hold back in any training session, sending people into the hospital with more than just broken ribs and fingers. He had nearly killed someone after they had shouted that he thought he was great due to being the grandson of a past Victor. The boy nearly paid for his life with that and ever since then, Kageyama hadn't bothered to go to the Academy, choosing to stay at home and practice in the training room his grandfather had.

He had been training on his own that day, the low thunk of wood hitting the dummy echoing across the room. Kageyama had no idea what time it was, the training room being situated underground. Kageyama's body felt like lead, although that didn't stop him from continuing to fight until he heard the distant sound of the door bell ringing.

He grunted as he pulled a towel from the floor, wiping himself as he walked up the stairs, the house echoing with his foosteps to swing open the door. Bright orange hair met his eyes before he slowly turned to look at the owner of the hair, a big smile on the boy's face as he grinned.

"Yo, Kageyama! Can I practice with you?" the boy had smiled as Kageyama growled, "How did you know where I lived?"

"Well, your grandfather is pretty famous and since you live in the Victor's village, it was quite easy to find. I'm getting bored in the Academy ever since you left, no one can keep up with me anymore!" the boy sighed as Kageyama tried to rake his brain for the boy's name until he remembered one memory in his mind.

He had spared him once. Just once, but he had been quick on his feet when handling the blade. The only reason he lost was because the boy hadn't had much combat training then, having been enrolled in the academy at a much later stage of his life as compared to Kageyama who had been there since he could walk, taking in any form of exercise his grandfather could teach him and observing the other trainees.

"Oh, you're the shit for brains that I spared with at one point."

"Oi! I've improved since then!" the boy snapped as he bowed low, Kageyama gaping as the boy shouted, "Please spar with me, Kageyama-kun!"

Why? Why was this boy so insistent on sparing with him? There were so many kids in the academy…

"Why? Why me?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're the strongest, and only the strongest can survive in the Arena so it makes sense to go after the strongest challenger, isn't it?" the boy said, cocking his head as Kageyama gulped. Large brown eyes stared back at him, reminding him of a crow waiting to pick apart its meal as he sighed.

"Fine…"

"Yahoo! I can't wait to train with you!"

"Just don't drag me down, boke. And you're bringing your own equipment."

"Oi! Don't call me boke!"

"You never gave me your name to begin with!" Kageyama snapped as the boy laughed, "My name is Hinata Shouyou. 15 years old. And I'm going to go and volunteer for the 74th Hunger Games and become the Victor."

For the first time in months, a smile crept up Kageyama's lips, splitting his face as he grinned down at Hinata. A fire lit up in his stomach, one that he hadn't felt in a while as he reached out to shake Hinata's hand, the other boy quivering with excitement as Kageyama grinned.

Its been a while since he felt like he had found a worthy challenger.

…

"So only Tobio-chan is left," Oikawa murmured as they walked down the river, Oikawa absentmindedly kicking some pebbles into the water. They didn't feel victorious after what happened with Kenma and Akaashi and with only one person remaining, they had to come to the inevitable conclusion of who was going to win the Games.

"Iwa-chan, if anything happens, make sure you're the one to win," Oikawa said as Iwaizumi huffed, "For goodness sakes, stop telling me that."

"We know we have to come to a conclusion sooner or later. Or what are you going to do, kill me along with Tobio-chan when he comes out to get us?" Oikawa growled as Iwaizumi reached out to pull Oikawa against him and kiss him. Oikawa smirked against him before whispering into his ear, "What are you going to try and do? Seduce me before throwing me into the river?"

"Shut it, Shittykawa and enjoy it," Iwaizumi growled as they continued to kiss, the sound of water lapping against the side of the river. The clock was ticking so where…

There was movement in the trees as a knife flashed in the darkness of the forest, Iwaizumi barely making it in shielding Oikawa as a knife imbedded itself in his hand. He howled as his bow clattered to the ground, blood spewing from the wound as Oikawa screamed, a body moving to grip him on the throat even as he tried to kick him.

"Come on, Oikawa-san. You've had your chance in getting away with this when I gave you the chance to join my team. Now, at least I get to murder you with your lover looking," Kageyama sneered as he took a knife from Oikawa's pocket, running it along his tongue as Iwaizumi grunted in pain, "Stop!"

"Or what? You're going to shoot me? You can't with your hand like that now," Kageyama spat as he ran the knife across Oikawa's face, blood blooming on his cheek as the older boy squirmed. Kageyama's eyes were dark with rage and jealousy, watching as Iwaizumi tried to pick up his bow before groaning in pain. He had done right hitting him square in his left hand, leaving it harder for Iwaizumi to use his bow.

"Iwa-chan! Just hit him!" Oikawa yelled as Kageyama pressed the knife deeper into his skin.

"Oh no you don't. I'm going to kill him first and then kill you. Finally. I can finally be a Victor and show to those idiots that I am here because of my own hard work. Hinata wouldn't have died in vain and I can finally say I'm the strongest in the Arena!"

"You want to be a killer, Tobio-chan?"

"So what? We have to kill all the time. I don't know you two personally so it doesn't matter," Kageyama snarled as Iwaizumi growled, "Get away from him."

Kageyama smirked as he dragged Oikawa to the river, close enough to the edge that water lapped against their shoes. Oikawa hissed in pain as Kagayema tightened his grip around his throat, Oikawa's face going white as Kageyama snarled, "So, how should I get rid of you? Should I throw you into the river or should I just snap your neck? Nah, that wouldn't be fun."

Iwaizumi grunted as he struggled to grab his bow. His hand throbbed in pain as he held his bow, notching an arrow with his good hand as he took aim. His fingers could barely hold the bow as he tried to aim, his arrow wavering as Kageyama laughed, "Come on! Come and get me! You think I care if I die now huh? Whether I win or lose, I have no one left!"

Slow tears began to fall from Kageyama's eyes, the boy's lip trembling as he remembered the faces of those he had lost. When he goes home, there wouldn't be anyone sitting in front of the TV watching past Hunger Games matches with him, telling him what went right and wrong in those Games. His sister wouldn't be sitting behind him as she carded her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp as he tried not to doze off. Hinata wouldn't be there to spar with him, bringing him pork buns as presents for training with him or his favourite milk.

"_Kageyama, let's stand at the top together!"_

"Boke…" Kageyama whispered as he sniffed, his grip on the knife becoming tighter as he debated on what he should do when Oikawa swung around and grabbed the knife from his hand, plunging it into his chest as Kageyama screamed. As pain wrecked through his body, he felt his body being kicked off as he fell into the frigid water with Oikawa, his mind going dark as he sank into the depths.

"_Neh, Hinata. Guess I'm going to be seeing you much sooner than I thought."_

…

Oikawa knew he had no other choice. He couldn't get out of Kageyama's grip without having his throat slit and Iwaizumi was in no shape to shoot. His hand trembled as he slowly reached for the knife, waiting until Kageyama was distracted to pull him around and grab the knife, sinking it into his chest and pushing both of them into the water. Oikawa could hear Iwaizumi's scream tearing through the air as he turned to look at him, Iwaizumi screaming his name as he ran towards them.

"Oikawa!" he yelled as he reached out for them, Oikawa smiling sadly as he felt the water meeting his back.

"I love you, Hajime," he smiled as he hit the water, the cold wrapping him in his embrace. Even as he sank into the water, he could still hear Iwaizumi's screams, trying to get to him as he smiled.

His grip on Kageyama had loosened and the boy now drifted off in the water, his body still as blood poured from his wound. His eyes were still slightly open, the remnants of tears in them as Oikawa heard the soft sound of the cannon going off in the distance. As he felt himself sink into the bottom of the water, water slowly began to fill his lungs as he felt his mind swimming.

"I'm sorry, Iwa-chan. For leaving you alone," he smiled as he heard the sound of the cannon going off and his mind drifting away.


	18. Chapter 18

"Oikawa!' Iwaizumi yelled as he watched his best friend getting knocked back into the water, Kageyama in his grip as the water enveloped them. Iwaizumi chucked his quiver and bow onto the ground, racing to dive into the water even as he hissed from pain as water lapped against his wound. His eyes stung as he tried to search for Oikawa, trying to frantically scream his name as he searched the murky waters.

No. He couldn't be dead. He did not do this so he could live.

"Oikawa!" he screamed even as bubbles escaped from his lips. He gagged as he kicked to the surface, sputtering as he tried to go in for a dive. He kicked back into the water, searching for the other Tribute even as fear swept through him about the inevitable. When he tried to dive deeper, he felt something breaching the water and clamping onto him, preventing him from moving as he struggled to break free. Metal claws pulled him from the currents, orecious oxygen filling his lungs as he screamed Oikawa's name over and over.

"And I believe we have a winner! Congratulations to the Victor of the 74th Hunger Games, Iwaizumi Hajime of District 12!" Atsumu's voice rang across the Arena as Iwaizumi yelled, "No! This isn't over yet! Oikawa is still alive! Let me go to him!"

No one comforted him as he sobbed, his limbs growing weaker from the numb of the cold, his head growing heavy as his eyes fell shut. Tears fell from his eyes as he weakly tried to call out for Oikawa one more time, pleading with the gods that this wasn't a sick joke.

"Tooru," he whispered as everything went black.

The next time he woke, he was back in the apartment he lived in for the past week. He slowly moved his hand to touch the left side of the bed, expected to come into contact with soft brown curls and an irky "Iwa-chan" coming from Oikawa but his hand was met with lush silk sheets. His head pounded as he slowly sat up, drinking in the harsh reality he was in now.

"Oh, you're awake," Matsukawa said as he sat up in his chair. He appeared a bit more haggard than usual, his hair mussed and eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep as he edged over to Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi raised the hand that had been hit with the knife in the Arena, not surprised to see that it was all healed up without much of a scar left behind.

"Iwaizumi, I'm so sorry," Matsukawa whispered as Iwaizumi's hands gripped the sheet pooling around his legs. His body felt brand new, as though they had removed any sort of ailment he ever had. His mind felt so much clearer and that led to him remembering what happened to Oikawa.

"Oikawa was announced dead when they found him. They had already announced him dead anyways before that when his tracker detected his vital signs shutting down. I didn't see the body…"

"Let me see him," Iwaizumi murmured as he tried to get up from the bed as Matsukawa pushed him back as gently as he could, "Don't. There are guards posted outside in case you go on a rampage. Don't let them kill you for something like this after the hell you've been through."

"Why… why did he do that for me?" Iwaizumi whispered as he began to cry, letting the tears wet the sheets as Matsukawa leaned in, his arms wrapping around Iwaizumi's quaking body as the boy sobbed into him. Matsukawa didn't smell of alcohol at all now, his hands strong as they wrapped around him and rocked him, shushing him slowly as Iwaizumi cried. The two of them remained that way even as Osamu came in, the man offering his condolences before informing Iwaizumi he needed to get ready for the Crowning ceremony. Iwaizumi was in no mood for celebrating but he knew he had no choice; if he didn't want his family to pay for the consequences, he better listened.

For once, even Tendou was silent as he helped him into a white suit, the same one that Oikawa had worn last time. Iwaizumi had to stop himself from crying one more time as Tendou gave him a pat on the back, not saying anything as he place a single black rose in his breast pocket, showing the hint of grief that Iwaizumi was feeling at the moment as he steered him out of the room.

"Neh, Iwaizumi. Your Games was one of the best I have ever seen. I know nothing can bring Oikawa back, but I hope you will feel better by the end of this. Not everyone comes out alive, after all," Tendou said as Iwaizumi slowly nodded. Tendou gave a nod as they walked out of the apartment and into the lift, the building now empty of all the Tributes it had housed a week ago. It was eerie that all of its occupants were now dead and Iwaizumi was the only one left standing.

"_Iwa-chan! We're floating!" Oikawa smiled as he pressed his face against the glass. Iwaizumi was trying his best not to gag from the feeling of floating in the air as the lift went up, a scowl on his face as he tried to rein Oikawa in from acting like an idiot._

"_Iwa-chan! Everyone is so colourful! Look at the streets! I can imagine going shopping there! It would take me forever to finish it all!"Oikawa cooed as he pressed his face against the car window._

"_Iwa-chan, you're not going to have any fans if you look like a gorilla," Oikawa sneered as Iwaizumi was held back by Matsukawa from socking him in the face before their interview._

"_Iwa-chan, watch me," Oikawa whispered as his breath ghosted across his cheek, giving him a kiss before walking off._

"_Iwa-chan, will you always be with me?"_

"Iwaizumi, we're here," Matsukawa said as the car jerked to a halt, Iwaizumi having had zoned out the entire way to the studio. Even as he stepped out of the car and into the flashes of several cameras, he couldn't stop thinking about how everything reminded him of Oikawa.

Why? Why hadn't he saved him?

Why hadn't he realised that he loved his best friend more than he should have?'

Why didn't he tell him he loved him?

"_Iwa-chan, I love you."_

Matsukawa and Osamu exchanged worried glances as Iwaizumi took to the stage, numb to the sounds of cheers and claps as Atsumu greeted him with a grin. The man didn't seem bothered by the fact that Iwaizumi was now alone, motioning him to sit down on the plush chair beside him as he grinned at the crowd.

"This year's Games were spectacular! How does it feel for you to win them?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport in this! You were brutal in the Arena! I had to say, you were such a good kisser back there, that saved your life when you were in the Arena when you got those arrows and food."

"Yeah."

Iwaizumi didn't want to be there anymore. He wanted to run and hide in a room and never leave it, to just remain silent and pretend nothing ever happened. A world without Oikawa was nothing to him. He couldn't breath. He couldn't live.

He couldn't live anymore.

His heart began to beat faster than it should as he gasped, Atsumu continuing to talk to the crowd on his behalf before congratulating him. Iwaizumi stepped off the stage in a daze, not even paying attention to the crowds and cheers screaming his name as he walked backstage to promptly collapse into Osamu and Matsukawa's arms.

He wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

Why wasn't he waking up?

…

Victor's village was filled with quaint elegant houses that were mostly empty. Iwaizumi gets the house next to Matsukawa's, which was filled to the brim with every sort of alcohol available. The man would stop by to see him once in a while, concerned at how Iwaizumi was taking things. Even with his mother and Oikawa's mother moving in and taking care of him, Iwaizumi never got any better.

Ever since the Games finished, his mind had been in denial of losing Oikawa and he never so much wanted to step foot outside of the house. His days were spent whispering Oikawa's name and reaching out to empty spaces, crying out at night for him before realising he was never coming back.

"Iwaizumi, you need to eat," Matsukawa groaned as he sat across from Iwaizumi. The boy had gotten a lot thinner after the games and was a hollow shell of his former self. Iwaizumi grunted as he picked up the cup of water and gulping it down, ignoring the food in front of him as Matsukawa tried his best not to reach out and shake Iwaizumi. He had seen Tributes falling to pieces like this after the Games, he couldn't bear seeing Iwaizumi doing the same.

Osamu would check in once in a while, calling in to see how Iwaizumi would do. When Iwaizumi failed to respond, he stopped calling, leaving Iwaizumi in further despair and isolation.

One day, he sat in his room, his hands holding onto the rope he had found lying on the floor. Somehow, he had managed to knot it up, singing a song under his breath he had heard the older men of the District singing. He and Oikawa used to sing it as children until their mothers told them to stop because of the meaning behind it. Iwaizumi had never found it so fitting before, his fingers working his way through the rope as he whispered.

Are you, are you  
Coming to the tree  
Where dead man called out  
For his love to flee  
Strange things did happen here  
No stranger would it be  
If we met at midnight  
In the hanging tree

"Tooru… why…" Iwaizumi sobbed as he brought the rope to his neck, the material kissing his throat as he tried to tighten it. His hands were shaking from the fear of what he was about to do, his mind pleading for him to do it and take away his misery when he felt the ghost of a smile and a hand reaching to him.

"Hajime, it isn't your time yet," Oikawa whispered as Iwaizumi dropped his hands, sobbing uncontrollably as he dropped to his knees. He continued rocking as Matsukawa came in, hurriedly moving to remove the rope from his neck before holding him in his arms, holding onto the crying boy.

There were no Victors in the Hunger Games.

Only survivors.

And even those do not survive.


	19. Epilogue

The world around Oikawa was black. Even as he tried to reach out to touch the surface in front of him, his hands wouldn't comply, stuck to his sides as he tried to move.

What the hell was going on?

"And for our next product, we have a very special treat for you all. Brought to you from President Washijou himself, this prize is one you don't want to miss. He was raised in the poorest of Districts, yet he came out even more beautiful than those before him. Not wanting to let his good looks go to waste, we now provide you with a one-time chance to purchase him as a personal possession."

Games? Tributes? What were those?

The crowd ohh and ahhed as Oikawa struggled. Now he knew why his hands and feet were not moving; they were bound to a chair in rope and his eyes were bound with a cloth. Cloth had been stuffed in his mouth as well, preventing him from speaking as he tried not to cry.

"And he starts at $1,000,000."

"$1,500,000!"

"$2,000,000!"

"Oho, I see we have a, wow, $4,000,000?!"

The numbers continued to fly over Oikawa's head as the crowd grew wilder, his hands now raw from having rubbed against his restraints as he hung his head in defeat.

He felt water swallowing him and the burning pressure of his lungs giving way.

He felt his heart give out as he sank into the bottom, the sound of a cannon going off in the background as he drifted away?

But why couldn't he remember what those were and why he had experienced those things?

Why couldn't he remember who he was?

"And Oikawa goes for sale at $5,000,000! Thank you for your purchase!"

Oikawa... was that his name?

Oikawa felt a tear streaking down his cheek as he felt himself being carried away, his lips moving without him registering as he whispered a name that brought peace to his heart.

"Iwa-chan, help me."

To be continued in the sequel : The Strongest Challengers.


	20. Author's note

So we have finally come to the end of Kings of the Arena. I started off writing this story thinking it's going to be a one-off multi-chapter story but after thinking it through and a lot of debate, I decided to try and turn it into a trilogy.

I just couldn't bear the thought of just ending the story with Iwa-chan growing into a grumpy old man who cannot escape the past and Oikawa's death being in vain so I thought heck, why not try out a trilogy?

I still have my undergraduate dissertation/thesis due in two weeks so trying to squeeze in time for writing this alongside that might be a little tricky but with this being one of my main outlets in letting out my stress, I think I might be able to write about a chapter a day or every few days, depending on if I don't suffer from writer's block and whatnot, which did happen at one point with this story.

I have come up with the outlines for both stories so if I follow those, we're looking at about 10 to 12 chapters each, possibly more with around 2000 to 3000 words per chapter (some might be short so it depends).

I was hesitating on writing a sequel since I was very scared I would not be able to commit to finishing writing it but in the worst-case scenario, it that does happy, I will always post up the outline so you know what happened in the end so don't fret! I just need to pick myself up and motivate myself to write this. And finish my Owari no haikyuu story which I am having a lot of trouble trying to come up with plot ideas.

The next story should be up tomorrow or so so stay tuned!

I just want to thank all of you for leaving comments and kudos on this story. They may seem insignificant but to me, as a writer who knows someone out there appreciates their work, it really helps spur me in writing the story and bringing to life something people would like to read. It can be for just one person, but to me, as long as there is a single person who wants to read my work, I will take that chance and write on.

Also, nowadays I'm more active on Archive of our own so if you want a quicker update of this series, you can check out my profile runningfromrealitytoanime.

Until the next story, ave atque vale and until we meet again, sayonara.


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